Titans North: Season One
by Zergplex
Summary: What happens when bad luck runs a team? Jinx will find out as she forms her own team and anything that can go wrong does. Team: Jinx, Kid Flash, Jericho, Argent, Revelation.
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: Greetings! I am aware this isn't the best work out there, and it isn't to the standard I used to hold myself to. But I know to get better again I have to write, even if it could be better. Please review honestly; it's the only way I'll improve. And enjoy!

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"You want us to do what?"

Jinx just stared at the fastest boy alive incredulously. Start her own team, was he crazy? The pink-haired witch shook her head as he continued.

"Come on Jinx, what have you got to lose?" His grin widened as she rolled her eyes, walking over to a cabinet searching for a bowl. "Your sanity? Your dignity? Or are you just afraid Robin looks better in tight spandex then you?"

"You're insufferable, you know that?" She frowned and kicked the lower cabinets, still looking for a bowl. Then she jumped as one was thrust in her face. She calmed and grabbed the bowl from Kid Flash's hand. "Thanks, but I could have found it myself you know."

"I know. And I'm serious, come ooooooon why not form our own team. It'll be fun, just like those old times with the HIVE Five you talk about. Just instead of committing crimes you'll be stopping them. And you won't be working with idiots-"

"-Are you sure because I'm staring at one right now -" She cut in as he spoke.

"-And we even look better," Kid Flash thought for a second before finishing. "Actually, I guess the situations not that similar after all."

Jinx simply rolled her eyes, wishing for a brief instant that she didn't have the hyperactive boy enamored over her. At least then she might be able to eat breakfast in peace. Then again it could be worse, she reflected, it could be Beast Boy.

It had been months since the Brotherhood of Evil's crushing defeat, when Jinx had joined the Titans. Those months had flown for the young witch. Though they distrusted her at first Jinx had proven herself indispensable to the Titans on several occasions, most recently in a fight with the Thing. The Thing was a white chameleonish machine that absorbed the attributes of materials it touched. It seemed immune to most attacks but was apparently highly susceptible to her hexes. Her hexes had prevented it from taking on new attributes, and without it's variety it could finally be captured successfully. Jinx had found what she had always wanted in a team, friends who listened and worked with her. Yet she wasn't satisfied and challenged Robin's authority far more then she knew she should. Kid Flash had hit a sore spot with this subject, and as usual he was too dense to realize when to let up.

"Even if I agreed to it, which I'm not!" She made clear as she glared at him. "You can't make a team with just two people Flash."

"Well we were going to be leaving soon anyway right? Why not just ask if anyone else is interested. If not I'll drop the subject entirely." Jinx glanced over at him as she poured herself a bowl of cereal.

"Why not just drop it now," She rummaged through the fridge for the milk, holding up various unrecognizable substances and making 'ewww' noises. "And do they ever clean this out. I swear this was the same junk that was out of date when we took over the tower."

"Actually I think Mammoth ate all of that." Kid Flash sped around the room making himself a bowl of cereal in an instant.

"How would you know-" Jinx turned towards Kid Flash, and realized he had disappeared again. As she glanced around for him she noticed a new milk carton sitting next to her bowl. And Kid Flash back in his seat again, feet up on the table as he munched on his breakfast.

"-about that? Wouldn't you like to know?" He winked at Jinx as she rolled her eyes again and poured the milk.

"Forget it, I don't want to know," Silence descended on the two for close to a minute before Jinx sighed and looked up at Kid Flash. "You really want to do this?"

He nods an affirmation and she shrugs her shoulders.

"Fine, if you can find someone who's interested in joining a former criminal and _you_ then I'll talk to Robin about starting another team-" Instantly Kid Flash disappeared, reappearing seconds later with Jericho in tow. Both were smiling broadly.

'For some reason I think I've been setup.' Jinx thought ironically to herself. She looked boredly between the two and held up her hands in exasperation. "I'm guessing Kiddy here has already filled you in on the offer?"

Kid Flash looked rebelliously at her at the use of that nickname, but held his tongue for Jericho's reply. Not that he had to as Jericho deftly signed his words to her. Jinx watched and nodded to what he was saying. Kid Flash's expression changed from rebellious to amazed.

"I didn't know you spoke sign language Jinx."

"It was required for all team leads in HIVE Academy, something about silent communications. And you don't speak sign language Kiddy, you sign it," She glanced sideways at him. "If you don't understand it how did you plan this little plot?"

"Easy, I write as fast as I talk," Once again she stared incredulously at him, giving him a 'I'll believe it when I see it' look. "Hey! Are you implying I talk too much?"

Jinx rolled her eyes and turned away from him to hide her smile. "I thought I was being pretty direct, I could imply it if you'd prefer."

Jericho just watched the two of them banter back and forth. He took a seat as the argument heated up and started munching on Jinx's forgotten cereal. This was the beginning of a beautiful partnership.

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Jericho watched as the water lapped at his feet, smiling and laying back in the sand. The stars were beautiful tonight and he savored every glimpse he had of them. He loved times like this, out alone enjoying all that nature had to offer. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy spending time with the Titans, but so few of them seemed to really understand how to enjoy the peace they were working so desperately to protect. He traced the stars of the big dipper with his finger as footsteps echoed from the tower. They were quiet, nearly silent footfalls walking closer to the waters edge. Suddenly an upside-down head glanced down at him.

"Couldn't sleep?" Jinx asked as she sat down beside him. Her eyes were caught on the moon glittering on the surface of the water. She drew her eyes away to see his reply, remembering hindsightedly his handicap. He assured her he was sleeping fine, and was just admiring the stars.

"Admiring the stars huh? I guess that does seem like something you would do," Jericho frowned at that, not quite sure what to make of the comment. He shrugged and decided to ignore it. They sat together for a moment before Jinx broke the silence again. "Do you know many of the constellations?" He nodded his ascent. "Could you point some out for me?"

He sat up and for the next half hour or so pointed out each constellation and its name to Jinx. She seemed quite receptive to the knowledge. Then again she had to be a knowledge sponge with where she came from, he reflected, not many ignorant students survive the HIVE. A sigh broke his thought and he looked over at Jinx. She sat with her knees against her chest and her arms clutched around them, gazing across the bay.

"You know, even after all this time this tower still doesn't feel like home. All the other expanded Titans had homes to go back to. I never had anywhere. I gave up my right to be with the HIVE when I joined the Titans. Then again I guess they were never home" He put a hand on her shoulder; she looked at it with her piercing pink eyes before shrugging it off. "Not at home with the Titans, not at home with the HIVE. I guess Kiddy was right, maybe it's time to make my own home."

They sat together in silence a bit longer before Jericho stood up and offered her a hand. She shook her head at it. "No, I think I'm going to stay out here a little longer."

Jericho knew she needed to think, needed to make her own decisions. And if Jericho understood one thing it was that sometimes you needed to be alone. He left Jinx and made his way through the Tower up to his room. He stopped in front of it for a second and thought better of it, turning and opening the door across the hall. As he stepped into Kid Flashes room he reflected. Jericho understood sometimes a girl just needs to be left alone, but tonight was not one of those nights.

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Authors Interlude: Well that wasn't as painful as I expected. The next chapter will be Jinx talking to Robin about the new team, Kid Flash revealing their new hometown, and the awakening of a new enemy. And pie, lots of pie...

This story is intended as a long running series and should span 5 stories in total (barring total loss of interest, which I seriously doubt will happen). I've got them all mapped out, now I just have to write them.

If you enjoyed the story please review. If you didn't enjoy the story, then pleeease review and help me improve. If the story just wasn't your taste... well I can't help you there . Have a great day!

-Zergplex


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: Thanks for the warm reception! Especially from Coldqueen, I am quite complimented an accomplished writer like you is reading my work. I especially loved your 'A New Start' and 'Gentleman Prefer Pink' stories. Jinx, Kid Flash, and smut. What more could I ask for . I didn't work on this quite as long as I did the last one, but I wanted to get it out of the way. Writing this conversation with Robin was haaard. Once they get out to Central City this should be much easier to write (and faster). Please read and review often and honestly!

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Jinx stood nervously outside of Robin's door, hand frozen for a second before knocking. Immediately the door slid open to reveal Robin sitting in front of his computer. He continued typing for a second, then turned towards her with a smile motioning for her to take a seat inside. She just froze at the door for a moment before shaking free of whatever she was thinking and walking in, sitting down as the door shut behind her. Whatever trepidations she had at the door were left behind as she sat comfortably in the chair.

'Does this boy have anyhobbies?' She thought to herself as she glanced around. Even after six months with the Titans this was only her second time in Robin's room. His bed was so immaculate it looked like it had never been used. His walls were plastered with crime photos, news clippings, and reports. His desk was scattered with case files and only a single personal belonging seemed to mar the impersonal surroundings. It was a single picture of the Team. It was taken at the park. Robin was slurping on a soda while Cyborg was being dragged somewhere by an insistent Starfire, Raven had opened one eye from her meditation floating above the picnic table to glare at the camera, and Beast Boy was sitting arm in arm with a blonde girl Jinx recognized as Terra. Abruptly Jinx's attention was called back to Robin as he coughed lightly. Her cheeks flushed rose for a second at being caught peeking at his room.

"I take it this isn't a pleasure call. What's on your mind Jinx?" Robin was straight and to the point, but not unkind. He had always treated Jinx as a Titan since Kid Flash had vouched for her, even when the others had doubted. He understood about second chances. She would never forget that kindness.

"A few things," Jinx crossed her legs in front of her indian style and rested her head on her crossed fingers. Her pink eyes looked uncertainly at him for a moment. "I'm not really sure where to start. I'm having some doubts..."

"What kind of doubts Jinx? You're not having second thoughts about joining the Titans?" He pushed his chair back from the desk and turned it towards her, resting one arm on the desk.

"Sometimes, but mainly with that it's just hard getting used to taking orders when you used to be the one giving them out. You know?" He gave her a knowing stare and nodded. "I guess that's why Kid Flash has been tempting me; he knows I'm not satisfied.

"Tempting? Satisfied? I don't know if I can help on those fronts Jinx, Star would kill me." He grinned at her as her eyes went wide and punched him in the arm.

"That is NOT what I meant and you know it Robin," She grimaced and spit it out. "Kid Flash and I want to form our own team. You already knew he was heading back to Central City, and probably suspected I might be going with him."

Robin nodded and stood from his computer, motioning Jinx up too. She tried to ask what he was doing but was cut off by his up thrust hand. Shrugging she followed as he walked past her out his door and up through the entwining corridors that led to the roof access. On the roof Robin led her over to the edge that overlooked the city. He stood there a moment as if entranced then turned back to the pink haired sorceress, leaning on the guardrail with one arm.

"My name is Dick, you can use it when we aren't around civilians," Jinx looked suitably shocked at this revelation and opened her mouth to reply before she was cut off again. "Dick Grayson. You earned my trust a long time ago Jinx; the others all know my name. I realized tonight that you didn't."

"Even Kiddy down there?" She still seemed to be digesting this information as he gave her an amused glance.

"'Kiddy' knew my name before the Titans even formed." He winked at her, turning to stare at the city again. "We go way back. He has some unpleasant memories from back then though, so I wouldn't ask him about it."

"Amazing, there is something he won't talk about?" Jinx walked forward and stood beside Robin. She gestured out to Jump city with one hand. "This is why you fight, isn't it. This?" She waited on his nod before continuing. "I'm... not like that Robin. I don't know why I fight. I fought with the HIVE because it was easy. I it's easy to be evil when you try not to think about the difference... With you guys I just don't know." She turned and pushed herself atop the guardrail, sitting on it. Robin turned his head to her. "With the Titans I have to worry about things I never thought about before. Like what happens when you take a day off and a man gets murdered. Or you are too slow to the scene and the bomb goes off. Or... someone on your team never comes back."

"It's the hazards of the job Jinx; we all knew it when we became Titans." He smiled at her reassuringly. "You will make a fine leader Jinx, don't worry so much."

She smiled back at him wryly. "You taking mind reading lessons from Raven? That wasn't necessarily where I was going with this. I just... don't fit here. I'm more worried what will happen if I don't fit out there. Here if I drop the ball there is always someone to pick it up. Out there it will just be Kiddy, Jericho and I. If they got hurt because of I screwed up..." Her face clouded up at the thought, and Robin shook his head slowly.

"We are all afraid of that Jinx. We all made mistakes, and we all have to pay for them. A leader can't let those mistakes weigh him down though. Or her as the case may be." Robin put a hand on her shoulder. "Listen, this is your choice to make. I can't do it for you. If you choose to do this though you have the Titan's full support. I'd hate to lose a team member but sometimes a person just needs to find their own way."

"You sound like you've been through this before?" Jinx arched an eyebrow at the Boy Wonder.

"Cyborg was a founding member and leader of Titans East. He rejoined us after they took down Brother Blood." Jinx's face grimaced at the mention of her former headmaster's name and she hopped off the rail onto the solid rooftop. "Make a decision Jinx and we will support it. Jericho huh? Good choice." A sound from Robin's comm. unit interrupted their conversation. He opened it and consulted it for a moment, then sighed. "I have to go; someone... important is on the line downstairs for me."

Robin swept past her quickly and disappeared downstairs, his face neutral and strictly controlled. Jinx shrugged at his reaction and leaned back, her arms entwined with the guardrail as she contemplated the conversation.

'That went better then expected. He trusts me, goddess only knows why.' She did know though, she just wouldn't admit it. She enjoyed taking down criminals, enjoyed spending time with her newfound friends. And Robin knew it. This just... wasn't home. It was, she reflected, a good place to visit though. Her mind swept back, as it usually did, to the red-haired boy who ran like a bullet through her thoughts.

Before him things were simple. Before him her mind was always strictly controlled and clear. Before him she just took what she wanted and never cared about the consequences. Before him... but this wasn't that time anymore. She was a different person. She pushed those thoughts out of her head and sighed. An answering sigh came from the door downstairs. She glanced over and saw Beast Boy holding a... rose?

"Sorry for interrupting, I thought there was no one up here." He walked towards her and put a finger to his lips. "Not a sound, I don't want Mr. Uncool to know I snuck out."

"Not a word about the new girlfriend, I swear." Jinx deadpanned, taking a wild stab at the point of his little excursion. Beast Boy looked suitably mortified and blushed a cute maroon color.

"It's not for a new girlfriend, I swear," He smiled weakly and sniffed the rose. "It's just... the anniversary." Jinx raised an eyebrow but kept quiet as his solemn expression. "Two years ago today we lost Terra."

Jinx kept quiet as he continued speaking, intrigued. Of course she knew about Terra, her life and death but most of it was dry facts gleaned out of computer readouts and reports. She wanted to know more about this mysterious Titan and her abrupt demise. It might help deal with her scattered thoughts.

"How do you deal with losing someone you care about? How do you keep on fighting knowing someone might not be coming back?" Jinx blurted out, second later ashamed at her abruptness. This wasn't like her to wear her thoughts on her sleeve. Beast Boy just gave her a sad kind of a smile and shrugged.

"I guess I do it so other people won't have to suffer through it. I mean if we just quit one day because we were afraid then a lot more innocent people would be hurt. Mentos always used to say that we fought so others won't have to," The green shape shifter turned away from Jinx and stared at the sky. "I miss her. Alot. And maybe someday Cyborg won't come back, or Star, or me. But the Titans will keep fighting, that's what being a hero is all about."

Beast Boy shifted to a hawk and flew off towards the city, his green feathers ruffling in the cold December breeze. Jinx shivered and walked towards the door downstairs, as much at the breeze as at the strangely serious conversation she had with beast boy.

"I think I have a lot to learn about being a hero." She muttered as she started down the myriad of hallways to her room.

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Author's Interlude: I gave up sleep for work to write this you know! teasing

And... I probably disappointed people with the severe lack of pie in this chapter. I promise that will be rectified in the next chapter.

In all seriousness though I am looking for someone to proofread my chapters and help me work on improving my writing. It would make this go a lot faster. If anyone is interested either PM me here or IM me at YarunMetios (AIM) or SenshiComet (Yahoo). Thank you for reading the story, hopefully I can have another chapter up by this coming Sunday.

Anyone else who wants to IM me is more then welcome to as well. I'm always around

-Zergplex


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Welcome to the next 'fun filled' chapter of Titans North. This time I'd like to recognize Showstopper for a wonderful review, he has an inkling of where I am going to be going with this fanfiction. I'd also like to thank Coldqueen for being my proofreader and generally boosting my confidence! This chapter is dedicated to you hun . Good reading and I'll catch you all again in the interlude later!

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A yellow gloved hand tore off the folded note taped on Jinx's door. Unfolded it read.

KF

I've made a decision

Get the Titans together for my announcement

I had a late night

Wake me before 9am and I'll kill you

Love, JX

A grin adorned the redhead skimming the note. In a flash, hence his name, he was out of his previously worn pajamas and into costume sitting in the kitchen sipping on his morning coffee. Cyborg, who had been holding the coffee pot as this happened, just stood shocked for a second before shaking his head to clear it and checking his grip on the coffee pot.

"You gotta stop doing that in the morning man, it's freaky." Kid Flash just smiled enigmatically as he waited for his target to come into view. Moment later Robin walked through the door and was pelted in the forehead with Jinx's note. Robin caught it on the way down to the floor and scowled at the speedster.

"Can you wait until after breakfast for the pranks?" Robin sat down at the table and tossed the note in front of him, then noticed the writing on it. After quickly skimming over it he glanced up at Kid Flash who winked at him. "Cyborg, after breakfast be ready for a quick team meeting. 9am."

"This doesn't have anything to do with little flashy leaving us for big ol' Central City, does it?"

"That's not for me to say, just be ready for the meeting. I'm going to tell the others." Robin stood and walked towards the door as Raven floated in with a book hovering in front of her face. She held up a hand and muttered "Meeting, nine, I got it." She floated to her accustomed seat and continued reading as if uninterrupted. Robin just shook his head and headed up for Starfire, Beast Boy, and Jericho's rooms.

"So, only a week left until the big move. Excited to be heading home?" Cyborg called out to Kid Flash over the sound of pancakes frying.

"Yeah, it'll be good to sleep in my own bed again." Kid Flash just leaned back in his chair and yawned as Cyborgs eyes narrowed across the room.

"You better be the only thing sleeping in that bed..." Cyborg muttered over the frying pan. Kid Flash arched an eyebrow and one lip was twitching to suppress a smile.

"Jealousy doesn't become you Cy, you're way too much of a big brother type."

"That's it little man! We are having a chat." Cyborg sat the frying pan down, lifted Kid Flash up by the back of his shirt and swung him over his shoulder. Kid Flash waved to Raven from Cyborg's back, grinning as he walked out of the room. "Keep the pancakes going while I'm gone, Rae, this shouldn't take long.

"If we aren't back in 25 minutes send Robin or Jinx in after me." Flash seemed to reconsider for a second. "Actually scratch that, just Robin. It's not nine yet."

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"Listen Cy, I know there has always been some tension between us. Beast Boy filled me in on why a few days ago. He said I deserved to know," The speed demon said, lounging in a chair in Cyborg's room. Across from him Cyborg sat on the bed, his face neutral and eyes studying Kid Flash's every more. "And I want to know I'm flattered by the attention, but I'm already involved with Jinx. Sorry."

Cyborg ignored his words and simply sat there for a few seconds just staring at Kid Flash, while the redhead fiddled with a stapler on the desk.

"So, I take it this is important then?" He put the stapler down and mimicked Cyborg's serious mannerism.

"Just listen for a second, ok Wally?" Cyborg sat up straighter and narrowed his eyes. "Your right, there is some tension between us and I should get it out in the open. Jinx is a real special girl and I wanna make sure you treat her that way. It's been nearly six months since you both joined and you still haven't asked her out. She's crazy about you, man; you need to get some guts."

"Aww Cy, I never knew you cared. I'll make sure I treat Jinxie like the little princess she is." Wally's voice was earnest, but a Cyborg felt a subtle hint of sarcasm in the words. It didn't please him in the slightest.

"If you won't tell her how you feel at least tell me. Because if you break her heart I'll-" Cyborg's fuming was interrupted as Wally cut in.

"If you asked she would have come with you. You didn't have enough faith in her," He smiled ironically at Cyborg. "She lost alot of faith when you left; I think its one reason why she was tempted by my offer."

The blood seemed to drain from Cyborg's face, and all his previous anger seemed to melt away, revealing doubt and regret. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, that's my job." Wally winked at him. "Jinx and I do talk after all Cy. Plus I have access to the mission files. Beast Boy just helped fill in some of the blanks."

"Why didn't she ever say anything?" Cyborg voice took on a plaintive quality, as he sat forward and rested his head on his hands.

"Well why didn't you? You should have trusted her man, you didn't just betray the HIVE when you left. You betrayed her." His vehemence shocked Cyborg nearly as much as his words did. "And you wanna pass judgment on us? I've been waiting until Jinx was ready for a relationship; I wasn't going to push her."

"Waiting on her...?"

"Yes waiting on her." Wally stood up and looked down at Cyborg. "You lost the best chance you ever had. Don't be pissed at me about it."

He walked to the door and pressed the button to slide it open. He walked out without looking back. Cyborg seemed stunned for a moment, then retorted weakly. "...and don't call me Cy."

"I'm glad we had this little chat..."

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Jinx took a deep breath before beginning. It had been a long time since she took Ranting and Raving (the Public Speaking class in the HIVE) and all her knowledge of how to announce what she had to say seemed to have abandoned her. One of her arms absentmindedly reached behind her back to clutch her other arm. It took all her courage to finally bite back the uncertainty and speak.

"This is really hard for me to say, so I'm sorry if any of this comes off wrong. These past few months have been some of the most fun in my life. I've learned alot working with all of you." Her eyes scanned the gathered faces. Beast Boy and Cyborg sat on the couch; an uncommonly serious expression graced the former's face while the latter had his face trained into a neutral expression. On Cyborg's left side sat Raven, an ancient tome sitting closed on her lap, her expression not unsurprisingly unreadable. Behind them stood Robin and Starfire. Star was leaning on the couch above Beast Boy with an intent expression on her face. Robin stood to her right with the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He nodded at Jinx as she spoke, and she took comfort in it. He knew what she was going to say. Beside Star was Kid Flash, smiling serenely at Jinx as he held up a Titans Communicator facing her. 'Serenely hah! That boy has never been serene in his life. And that's just how I like it.' Jinx thought wryly before contemplating the Comm. unit. It was broadcasting this speech to the entire extended titans group across the world. The fact that her announcement was being given this much publicity was almost unbelievable to her. Finally was Jericho, sitting on the floor in front of the boys on the couch. He was only feet from her and gave a reassuring smile as he fingered his guitar. She herself stood in the middle of the room, the center of attention.

"The HIVE taught me how to fight, nearly as well as the Boy Wonder over there," Beast boy snickered at the comment, but it was true. Next to Robin, Jinx was the best hand to hand fighter the Titans had. "They taught me stealth, they taught me strategy. They taught me skills. I learned something different during my time here." Her voice caught and she had to swallow at the pressure building in her throat. "You taught me compassion. You gave me acceptance. You shared your friendship. And you showed me guidance. Watching you I learned what it meant to be a hero." As she spoke she shifted her gave to each of the Titans in the room. Starfire for compassion, Raven for acceptance, Cyborg for friendship, Robin for guidance, and finally Beast Boy for heroism. Then her gaze strayed to Jericho and Kid Flash. "Now it's time I take out and use what you taught me. As you know Kid Flash was asked to take over guarding Central City... and I'm going with him. As the leader of Titans North."

Original Titans were all stunned to silence, except for Robin who just kept listening as she continued. "Jericho has already agreed to join our team," She stressed the word our and met eyes with Kid Flash, winking before she turned her head to the Communicator broadcasting to the Extended group. "I would be honored if any of you would like to join our little soiree. Robin has already set up Titans North in the Comm. units, just contact me to join. Or if you need backup, we're always ready to kick some ass. Our home is your home. Or at least Kid Flash's home is your home, since that's where we will be staying until we set up a base," She snuck a sly glance back at the redhead who was gossiping with Beast Boy, though somehow he still managed to hold the Comm. unit steady in his offhand. "So I guess that leaves only one thing left to say. Teen Titans! Together!"

The world seemed to freeze a beat as Jinx declared a new Titans battle cry, then all the assembled Titans broke out in applause. Robin nodded approvingly as the others massed around Jinx; hugging, congratulating, and asking her questions. Raven stood and made as if to go to her room, but stopped by Robin and whispered in his ear.

"You did the right thing Dick. Once the idiocy is over send her to my room, I need to talk to her. Alone." Robin gave a swift nod, and he felt the coldness as Raven's black miasma teleport her away.

"Glorious! I will miss you friend Jinx but we will celebrate your good fortune." Jinx braced herself for Starfire's hug and made it through with the minimum of bruises. "Be safe with the Kid Flash."

"Good fortune for the bad luck charm! It's about time." Beast Boy chimed in.

"That's it, time for some celebratory cuisine! I'm cookin'." Cyborg popped up from behind a cabinet wearing an apron with 'Meatastic' printed on it and an oversized chef's hat. As he pulled at least three different kinds of meat from the freezer Beast Boy made his way over for their traditional clash. Starfire also floated into the kitchen, mumbling something about cultivating a fungus for the celebration.

Robin just stood back grinning as his team congratulated Jinx. As they meandered off to fix dinner he took Jinx aside.

"You made the right choice Jinx, now about setting up your tower..." She looked away as he spoke and he narrowed his eyes. "Is there something wrong?"

"Listen, about last night." She raised her hand to forestall his interruption and caught his eyes in her pink gaze. "My name is Jenny. Jenny Wrangler."

As he stood silent, digesting what she said and why she had said it Jinx walked over to Starfire who was starting on her celebratory glorg. Robin simply raised an eyebrow as she turned back around.

"It's about time I started returning your trust. Don't tell the others." Jinx promptly turned on her heels and started to try and convince Starfire the glorg wasn't necessary.

"Don't tell us what?" Came a curious voice from behind Robin. He waited a beat before replying.

"...that Jinx is one of us."

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"Bluebird, you home?" Jinx knocked on dark titan's door incessantly. "Birdboy said you wanted to talk to me."

Suddenly Jinx's hand met air as the door opened. Jinx poked her head inside and jumped inside as the door nearly closed on her. Raven's room was surprisingly well lit, she sat on the bed reading from the same book she held earlier. Jinx noted it was a tome on Hindu mysticism. Something almost clicked in her mind but she ignored it.

"So... can I sit down or something?" Raven motioned to a nearby chair and put her book down on the bed. She sighed and looked up at Jinx.

"I have a bit of a confession to make, I was hoping this could wait until I finished my research but current... events have forced me to reveal it earlier." Jinx's feline eyes narrowed.

"You mean me leaving don't you?"

"Yes. You leaving." Raven took in a deep breath before jumping into her explanation. "When you first joined the Titans Cyborg got some strange reading coming from you. He asked me to look into it, since I was more adept at 'magical mumbo-jumbo' as he put it. He thought it was just feedback from your powers. He was half right. Ever since then I have been reading up on the historical and present significance of your powers and their effects."

"So, you've been spying on me," Jinx said coldly. "Since I started here?"

"Just... let me finish ok? I found out your powers are hereditary, and originate from India. You probably already knew that though. They are also based equally on emotion and willpower, making them similar to both Starfire's powers and my own. The strength of your powers is based upon your will, while your control is based on your emotions. Uncertainty, fear, insecurity. These emotions open a floodgate to your powers that allow them to influence the world around you. Simply speaking when you're unsure of yourself bad luck tends to follow you." Jinx just stared at her, eyes narrowed and visibly unimpressed.

"I thought you might have already known that too. Your powers are volatile, and I think your starting to lose control of them. I can help... if you'll let me. I have also been studying my books to try and find some way to help. I may have found a method to help you reign in your powers, to control them. I hadn't brought it up to you yet because I didn't want to give you false hope." Raven pulled an ornate mirror from the stand beside her bed. It looked unfamiliar to Jinx yet had a feeling similar to something she had felt before.

"This is known as a Mirror of Opposition. It is made of the very fabric of my soul." Raven watched Jinx's shocked reaction, inwardly smiling, and waited a moment before continuing. "This allows myself and any I choose to enter my mind. It aids in meditation and allows me to face my emotions and inner demons directly. It is also a very dangerous item, using it my soul could be attacked directly by anyone who understands its use. If you wish I could show you how to make one. Facing your emotions directly could help you understand how they affect your powers."

Raven looked over at Jinx's uncertain face and offered her a hand. "To create it you would have to allow me to enter your mindscape, to help you form the mirror. This won't work unless you trust." Jinx just stared at the hand for a second then looked up at Raven's face.

"Do you trust me?" Jinx wordlessly took Raven's hand. With a flash of black energy Raven was gone and Jinx's unconscious body lay limply in the chair.

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Hours passed with no movement in the room. Finally as the clock struck noon a slight glow started in the room. It was centered on Jinx's forehead, and slowly it grew brighter until from Jinx's forehead emerged the black silhouette of a bird, filling the room with a dark glow before reforming into a rather startled Raven. Jinx blinked her eyes away, and glanced around the room. She caught Raven's eyes and was shocked at what she saw reflected in them. Understanding... and fear? She lifted a hand to rub her head and whacked herself with something hard. Looking at her hand she saw an ornate mirror. The haft was silver and decorated with swirls and whorls. The surface of was brightly polished and tinted just slightly pink.

"Is... was that what caused this?" Raven's question brought what had happened to the forefront of Jinx's mind. She gasped and looked over at Raven who was currently breathing hard on her hands and knees. Her costume was torn and bruises adorned her body.

"Raven," Jinx went down on one knee and helped the dark haired girl to her bed. "Swear what you saw will be between you and me."

Raven nodded and promptly passed out.

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On a small table far away a Titans Communicator repeated the same scene over and over. A cute girl appeared onscreen giving a speech, her cotton candy hair quite fetching to the viewer. "...we're always ready to kick some ass. Our home is your home. Or at least Kid Flash's home is your home..." On the nearby bed sat a half packed suitcase. A smile adorned the girl who hurriedly went through her room, throwing things into the suitcase as she went.

"She has perfect bloody timing. They aren't bad lookers either, this might even be fun."

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Author's Interlude: Welcome to the interlude! The first person who can identify whose story Jenny Wrangler's name originated in will get a cookie and a mention in my next authors note. I truly respect the stories by that author by the way, and he'll also be recognized in the next author's note both for his superb writing and being kind enough to allow me to use the name

And what the hell am I thinking? How could I put the pie off for another chapter? I truly do apologize; I don't mean to keep deceiving you in this manner. I realize the seriousness of pie and shouldn't keep teasing you with it.

In all seriousness this is my longest chapter currently and was definitely the easiest for me to write. I was just inspired. Just for reference this is the minimum length I would like all my future chapters to be, whether I manage that or not is another subject entirely.

The next chapter should be posted next Sunday and unless I drastically change my mind should be a very comedic episode. A very serious moment at the end, but overall lighthearted. It will be the day before their move, and involves Jinx enjoying her last day in Jump City. For those of you missing Kid Flash he should have a part in the next chapter. Just sit back and relax, once they get to Central City Kid Flash will be having a much larger part (as will Jericho for that matter). That is his city after all, just be patient. And that was NOT what I originally intended KF/Cy's conversation to be. I started writing and it just happened like that.

I Blame Bon Jovi for this story. I have been creating my Titans North playlist, and Bad Medicine has been my theme song for Jinx for quite some time. I blame that on another author who I'll be mentioning in my next chapter. Deuces Are Wild by Aerosmith is also my little theme for Jinx and KF's relationship. The music keeps me going Thanks for reading and look forward to the next chapter!

-Zergplex


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Greetings true believers! grin I always wanted to say that. To start I've got a couple people to mention. First is Meiriona for correctly guessing where Jinx's real name came from. Check out her Shreya to Jinx story if you get a chance, it is definitely worth a good long look. Second is to emphatically thank Japhith for allowing me to use Jenny Wrangler as Jinx's real name (yes I did ask first). He wrote the Re-Educating Miss Roth trilogy (hey it's three stories, I can call it a trilogy ) which I can't recommend enough, if you haven't checked it out yet... well what the heck are you doing reading my story! Go read his first then come back. The relationships between the characters are beautiful and breathtakingly written; you can truly feel the friendships and hatreds in the story. A teacher once told me that a poor writer tells what a character is feeling; a great writer shows what the character is feeling. Japith's stories are definitely the latter, showing the relationships through their actions and conversations. Eh, can you all tell I'm a fan? Finally coming in third is my favorite reviewer from last chapter, acosta perez jose ramiro who has been reading this story since it's inception. Check out his Target: Teen Titans story for an interesting crossover with one of my favorite marvel characters. Thanks for reviewing, and thanks to all the other reviewers for what you do. Well now that I finished that rant, let's get on to the story. It seems like my Author's Notes keep growing... so many people to recognize so little space.

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"It has been an interesting few days."

The pink haired beauty was laying spread-eagle on her bed reflecting on the past few days. The week had seemed to fly away in front of her eyes. Sunday she had made her announcement to the assembled Titans, Monday Cyborg had brought Kole and Gnaark to the tower, and Friday (tomorrow) she, Kid Flash, and Jericho would be heading to Central City. Cyborg insisted they take the T-Car, it would allow them to take all their belongings in one go. Cyborg would follow in the T-Jet in a few days to help setup the base. Meanwhile with Cyborg gone Kole and Gnaark had volunteered to help out back at the base. Kid Flash hadn't argued about taking the car, he loved all sorts of fast things and driving fast was almost as much as running fast. At least that's what he told Jinx, she assumed he was doing it just to irritate Beast Boy (who Cyborg still wouldn't allow behind the wheel). The thought of that argument brought a grin to her face, the only other time she'd seen Cyborg that irritated was Monday...

"I still don't understand how Flashy talked me into that one."

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It was nearly noon and the newly formed Titans North team was holed up in Kid Flash's room. None of the other Titans had any idea what they were doing, but they were all curious. Kid Flash refused to open the door to Starfire, and Robin just told the others to relax. Regardless of Robin's advice all the Titans were hanging out in the living room, most of them anxious or worried and awaiting their friends arrivals. Only Robin and Raven seemed calm, Robin was preoccupied with his laptop and Raven with her book. Even they jumped as the doors opened though, admitting Titans North.

The assembled team turned as one and stared with bulging eyes at the new arrivals. To the left stood Jericho in Beast Boy's outfit, which was a bit too small for him and clung nicely to his frame. He had a bit of blush to his cheeks as he stared shyly at Kole. She on the other hand was still too shocked to reply, then gave him a thumbs up smiling. To the right stood Kid Flash wearing Robin's outfit. It fit him rather well, and other then his shock of red hair and height he looked the part perfectly. Well that and the smug expression plastered to his face. Finally between them stood a dour looking Jinx, dressed in Raven's leotard and cloak. It fit her nearly as well as it fit Raven herself, and the pained expression on her face matched Raven's expression at seeing her perfectly. Even Jinx's hair was changed, it still retaining its signature pink coloring but was styled similar to Raven's except a few inches longer. She nudged Kid Flash with her elbow, muttering "You will pay for this one..."

The first to react was Cyborg who convulsed in laughter, slapping Beast Boy hard on the back. "You should let Jericho keep the costume, it looks better on him anyway!"

The changeling picked himself up off the floor and jokingly glared back at him. "I don't think its Jericho you're staring at right now Cy."

"Oh, and who am I staring at BB." Cy replied innocently, but his laughter stopped and a deadly glint reflected in his eye. Beast Boy grinned and pointed at Kid Flash, both of them replying at the same time "Probably him/me."

"So, how does it feel to be the Beast Boy friend Jericho?" Starfire inquired, giggling slightly as she watched Cyborg chase Kid Flash and Beast Boy around the room. Beast Boy had shifted to a cheetah and they were seeing how close they could get to Cyborg without being caught. Meanwhile Jericho had joined Kole on the couch and was having a very animated conversation with her. Apparently Jinx wasn't the only one who understood sign language on the team.

"If you think that's funny Star, watch this." Jinx walked over to Raven and sat in the loveseat across from her. Instantly her body and facial expressions changed and matched Raven's (rather annoyed) expression perfectly. Raven raised an eyebrow at her, which Jinx matched. As Raven rubbed her temples at her growing headache Jinx mimed the same. Robin and Starfire were by now whooping with laughter at their mirror image.

"If it wasn't for the bubblegum pink hair you would be her perfect double." Both sorceresses turned their twin gazes to Robin at the same moment. That was too much for him and he lost himself in his laughter again. Raven and her double turned their gazes back to each other for a moment. They were at an impasse for a moment until Jinx winked one eye at Raven. Raven froze for a second, and then gave in to laughter herself.

"Ok now that you have ruined what dignity I have could you please explain why you're dressed up like that?" Jinx simply motioned to Kid Flash. He shrugged at Raven's question as he plopped down in the loveseat with Jinx. The sight of the pink haired Raven and red headed Robin cuddling sent the others into stitches again. Kid Flash just cocked an eyebrow at Jinx and grinned.

"I guess it just seemed like a good idea at the time."

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The hex witch sighed and rolled over. What were they? At times like that it was almost unbelievable to other Titans that they weren't dating. None of them really understood why. Understood her.

"...hell who am I kidding? Even I don't understand me. He adores me, cares for me, and trusts me. What the hell is stopping me?" She knew it though. Knew in the back of her mind. It wasn't clear until her nightly training sessions with Raven why she was so reserved with Kid Flash. She sighed again. "I guess spelunking your mind with a mirror can be enlightening after all."

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"Now concentrate. Keep your mind clear of all thoughts and focus all your internal energy into the mirror. Slowly your astral self should form through the mirror into your mind. Be careful, if your mind is not clear during this process you could..." Raven was interrupted by Jinx flying into a wall, pink energy flaring around her. "...get negative feedback from the process."

"You call THAT negative feedback?" The bad luck charm glared at Raven who tried to hide a smile. As Jinx rose and brushed herself off she surveyed the damage; nothing permanent just bruises.

"You did better then my first time. Anger almost roasted me alive before realizing who I was." Jinx raised an eyebrow to Raven.

"You mean the blue robes weren't a clue?"

"You know you're the first person I've met without distinct emotions in their subconscious." Raven changed the subject rapidly, not wanting to go in-depth on Anger's issues. "Individual internal personalities, that's pretty unique."

"What can I say, I love to be different," Jinx's cavalier words belied her doubt. Raven just waited patiently until Jinx snapped back at her. "So what do you want, some kind of analysis? You're the experienced one here. Explain it to me."

"I would but I've never even seen you use any of the powers they show."

"That's because I can't. I inherited the bad luck powers naturally. The others are a matter of training," She gave Raven a wry smile. "And I'm the last, as you found out. Hence no one to train me."

"You really should name them; it makes it easier to deal with them when they are more distinct."

"Fine then." Jinx paused for a moment thinking, then snapped a finger. "The purple one is gonna be Violet, little miss rainbow is Brite, the blue one is Charm, and the green is Clover. Your name for the black one fits, Hex.

"And the normal one?"

"I'm calling her Jenny."

"She's... what you would have been without your powers. Isn't she?" Jinx nodded as she sat down in lotus position again.

"Yeah, I guess so. The pink hair and eyes were a side effect." Jinx closed her eyes and focused her concentration again, considering the conversation over. She centered her power on a single point and cleared her mind of distractions. She slowly felt it all pool together into the mirror...

"So you were supposed to be a brunette? I wonder if Kid Flash likes brunettes..." Raven murmured to herself and Jinx exploded back into the wall a second time. Moments after landing she was back on her feet furious.

"YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!" Jinx fumed at Raven. The blue cloaked sorceress was not perturbed and didn't bother to hide her smile at the response.

"You're right."

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"It took a couple hours, but I finally got it that day." She reflected, turning again. She had learned a lot about herself that night. How she felt and things she hid. Raven assured her she still had a lot to learn though, both on how to control the mirror and about her own mind. Jinx could believe it, being there was the most marvelous and scary thing she had ever experienced. A place she couldn't hide anything, where her doubts and insecurities where laid bare. Yet it felt so much like home...

"Kind of like Flashy's room. Comfy and scary at the same time." She brooded. There was no doubt anymore, she knew how she felt about him and why. Now it was a simple matter of telling him. "It's never that simple though. Just look at Starfire and Robin. I still don't know why she turned to me for advice though..."

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"Come friend Jinx! Let us celebrate your good fortune at the mall of shopping!" Starfire clamped onto Jinx's arms and tugged her through the air. Jinx had been preoccupied with 'customizing' her communicator (she was attempting to put on a purple casing), and hadn't noticed Starfire's approach. Jinx slid out from the redhead's grasp and glared at her, while searching the floor for her dropped, and partially dismantled, communicator. Pieces had flung everywhere and she despaired at ever repairing it.

"Jeez what's the deal? Starfire I've still got a lot of planning to do with Robin and Cyborg before we leave..." Jinx sighed as the Tamaranean's puppy-dog eyes won her over. "Fine I'll go shopping with you, give me a few minutes to finish cleaning this up and I'll meet you on the roof."

This had become a bit of a ritual for them. Jinx was the only one in the tower who was willing to shop with Starfire. After all Raven was practically a hermit, the boys wanted nothing to do with it, and none of the honorary titans were around often enough. Shortly after Jinx's arrival at the tower Starfire had dragged her off for the first time. Surprisingly she had enjoyed it; the Tamaranean was good company when she chose to be, even if she was a bit naive. Shopping with Starfire also helped fight the cravings to shoplift and Jinx still got. Kid Flash and once mentioned that theft was like an addiction to her, and she agreed wholeheartedly with that. So since then this became a regular occurrence with them, Starfire dragging the protesting Jinx shopping. They would both dress in normal clothing and meet on the roof. Starfire would fly them from the roof to the docks and from there they would walk to the mall like civilians. Sometimes it was nice just to be part of the crowd, not a hero or villain. Today was one of those days.

"It is sad this may be the last of our days of shopping together," Starfire said as they walked into the mall. Jinx grabbed her hand and pulled her into one of the stores, she didn't really pay attention to which one.

"We'll just have to make the best of the time we have then."

They spent the next few hours browsing through the various stores. By the time their fatigue and hunger caught up to them they were toting four bags a piece. They took refuge at the Food Court for a late lunch.

"Thank you for joining me friend Jinx; this has been a most enjoyable day." Starfire was busy devouring some vaguely chicken like substance; Jinx wasn't quite sure where she had bought it and was afraid to ask. Jinx on the other hand was adeptly handling her chopsticks, taking her time and enjoying her Asian dish. "What is that you are eating?"

"Chicken teriyaki with sobi noodles."

"They are from Japan yes? Cyborg took us to a restaurant that served many such strange foods during out stay in Tokyo." Jinx nodded, she had been left at the tower during their Tokyo adventure but had heard all the stores. Mainly from Beast Boy, who was oddly popular in Japan. Something about otaku is she recalled. "We had many strange events and encounters while there..."

Jinx finished slurping down her noodles and stared at Starfire. She hadn't seen the alien look so dejected since the last (of many times) Silkie had gone missing. "Your food not settling?"

"It is not that... I have a question friend Jinx. How is it that you are together with the Kid Flash and yet not? It confuses me." Jinx was thrown for a loop with this question. She had always been on good terms with the alien but their relationships had never come into play. Jinx immediately questioned her motives, but held back from lashing out at the girl. Starfire was generally innocent, even if uncommonly direct, and her question seemed to be as guileless as an infants.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I was hoping it would help me understand Robin." Jinx raised her eyebrow at this, not quite making the connection. "To me you are similar. Both are driven, both enjoy the kicking butt, and both have the intimacy issues yes?"

It took a moment for the words to click within Jinx's mind. For a moment she just gaped as three emotions warred in her mind. Embarrassment and anger both lost out to humor as Jinx burst out laughing. Starfire just gazed at her questioningly until Jinx regained control of herself.

"Ok you got me; bird boy and I are sorta alike. At least in that respect." Jinx reflected for a few moments before continuing. "It's a lot of things, but I think it all comes down to fear. I'm comfortable with the way things are now. Changing our relationship... it's a scary thing."

"But you and Robin, you are both so brave. Why would you fear change?"

"We aren't Tamaraneans Star, not everything we do always makes sense," Jinx had never called Starfire by her nickname before, but in this situation it seemed to flow. "We're just afraid of losing what we already have. Once things change they can never go back."

"Thank you friend Jinx, I think you have clarified the situation for me greatly," Jinx felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up into Starfire's sympathetic eyes. "Is he worth changing for?"

"I think so..."

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"Things seem so clear at that moment. I'd just tell him." Jinx groaned. It had seemed so easy when she was talking to Starfire, but back at the tower with his blue eyes gazing into hers... she couldn't do it. All her uncertainty flooded back, froze her limbs. It was all she could do to excuse herself and escape to her room that day. She was a coward, or at least she had felt like one.

"Facing your enemies is one thing, but facing your friends is even worse..." She contemplated. "That conversation was a long time in coming..."

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"So this is where you've been hiding." Cyborg looked up and noticed Jinx sitting a few feet from him on the hood of the T-Car. She arched an eyebrow at his startled expression."I've been watching the last couple minutes. Didn't want to interrupt you, remember last time?"

They both grinned at the shared memory, a science class experiment gone awry. It had taken weeks to repair the lab after that incident. Cyborg's grin left quickly and he turned back to his new gadget. Jinx tried to look at the gadget but Cyborg blocked her view.

"I've forgiven you, you know? For what happened then." He turned away at the matter-of-fact tone of her voice.

"I know. But I think it'll be awhile before I forgive myself." He started packing up his work gear, throwing it all into a large industrial toolbox.

"For what?"

"For not trusting more." She looked at him with a bemused expression. "That Kid Flash of your's is really something else, you know that?"

"Yeah tell me about it." Her long-suffering sigh brought a grin to his face as he walked over and sat beside her on the T-Car.

"I think I will. What's holding you back Jinx?" His question brought to surface so many emotions, and she struggled to hold them back. She sighed and looked away. "He cares enough for you to stand up to me, and that's some compliment."

"I'm surprised I haven't heard him bragging about it."

"Well... it was kinda private." Private eh? Jinx made a note to force an answer out of Kid Flash tomorrow. Meanwhile she just rolled her eyes and looked downcast.

"Yeah yeah, he's great I know. I'm just too screwed up to do anything about it." She felt Cyborg move but didn't realize he was in front of her until his good eye locked gazes with hers.

"Look at me Jinx. Don't be so down on yourself. It took a lot of courage to do what you did." Cyborg rested his hand on her shoulder.

"To do what? Betray the HIVE? That was easy. Betraying Baran and Mikron, that was harder."

"Baran and Mikron?" Cyborg looked confused and Jinx gave another long-suffering sigh.

"Yeah, Mammoth and Gizmo to you. How would you have felt if you had really betrayed the Titans to Brother Blood?" Jinx remembered that night vividly. The unveiling of the class project and the night her classmate Stone was revealed as Cyborg. Before it filled her with hatred, now it just left her feeling betrayed and lost.

"They were criminals Jinx-"

"They were my FRIENDS. They were like brothers to me. Stupid, ignorant, annoying brothers; but still family."

"I guess it's hard for me to understand."

"Yeah, I guess it is." She stood up and walked towards the door. "They were there for me when no one else was."

"Is that why you helped them escape from jail?" Cyborg's robotic eye glowed slightly as she looked back at him. How could be have known? She had been so careful. She hadn't even used her powers during the breakout, afraid Raven might sense them.

"How did you..."

"Robin asked me to look into the breakout. It wasn't that hard to put two and two together, I cleaned up the few traces you left. I told Robin that I couldn't find anything."

"Why." She spoke softly, such a simple word with so much meaning behind it.

"You were trying to clean up your act, but you owed them. I understand something about that."

"But that's not why you did it."

"No. It wasn't," Cyborg stared at her a moment, then reached down and tossed her the device he had been working on. It was two pieces; the first looked similar to a wristwatch with the signature T symbol emblazoned in pink on top, the second was a small earpiece with several buttons along it. Both sported her signature black and purple color scheme. "New communicator, since you toasted your's yesterday. The visuals show up on the wrist while a microphone is built into both the earpiece and wristband. It's a multi-directional microphone with a short range; it should be clear for whatever you say but doesn't pick up much beyond you. I made the prototype while I was with Titans East, but I never really had a reason to finish it till recently."

"Thank you." Jinx watched as Cyborg returned to his work and she stepped out the door.

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"I really don't know what I expected from that conversation, but that wasn't it." What had she expected though? To bare her feelings about Kid Flash to her old crush? To make sure she wasn't still harboring old feelings? She wasn't sure, but the conversation hadn't cleared the air between them like she had hoped. She studied her new communicator for a moment. She had tested it out over the last few days and it worked marvelously, it was obviously a labor of love and Cyborg had put his heart and soul into making it. She wondered how long it would take to make copies for the whole team, though for the moment they could wait. After all she loved making Kid Flash jealous, and this nice little gift from Cyborg worked marvelously in that regard. To date she had only taken it off to sleep and during her final training match. She could still feel her shoulder ache from that match.

"I guess I shouldn't expect Robin to pull his punches..."

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"Yeaaah!" Jinx flew through the air from Robin's toss, and repelled off a nearby wall. She landed a few feet from him and performed a leg sweep, which he adeptly dodged. They had been going back and forth like this for some time. Robin had the upper hand, as usual, but Jinx wasn't giving up her ground easily. After a few more rounds Jinx had had enough. As Robin landed she let a bit of her powers go, he stumbled in his landing giving her an open shot. As she side kicked he slipped to the side and back flipped away.

"You know the rules Jinx, no hexes during sparring." They continued to circle each other, each looking for any opening.

"When we fight villains we can't always play by the rules, can we?" Robin chuckled a bit at her comment and held up a detonator.

"I know." He pushed the button and smoke started pouring out from behind the sorceress, she tried to make her way through the smoky room but was met with a swift roundhouse kick. As she hit the ground Robin was atop her with one finger against her throat.

"Checkmate." Jinx was still processing what had just happened as Robin rose from straddling her and offered a hand up. "Good match; you're getting better every time."

"Not good enough obviously, I still can't even tie you." Jinx watched as Robin cleaned up the remains of his smoke bomb and just shook her head. "You were just waiting for me to cheat weren't you?"

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't try something." He grinned as he tossed the scrap metal into a trash can. "So have you worked things out with Cyborg about setting up the new Tower?"

"Yeah, once we arrive Kid Flash, Jericho, and I will scout for a suitable location. We have three days to find the location before Cyborg arrives with the supplies to start building." She said boredly, having memorized her instructions days ago. "Until then we hole up in Kid Flash's pad."

"Sounds good, just be careful while you're out there. There are already some established villains in that town and you're vulnerable until the tower is finished."

"I got it." Jinx walked over to a cabinet and grabbed the massive bottle of Ibuprofen they kept for injuries. Robin was disdainful of most medication, but keeping it around shut Beast Boy up when he pulled a muscle. Which happened. A lot. As she gulped three down she noticed Robin staring at her.

"Listen Jinx, did you talk to-"

"What Starfire talks to me about stays between us girls, kay Dick?" Jinx flipped her hair at him and walked to the door. Robin's hand grasped her as she pressed the button to open the door. She looked at him and was surprised to see a small smile tugging at his lip.

"Whatever you said, thank you." He let go of her hand and walked back to the training mat. "Send Beast Boy in on your way out, it's his turn."

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"That was some day." Jinx rose and walked to the window, looking out it to the water beyond. "First Robin thanks me, and then..."

Her thoughts froze as she thought of what had occurred that night. She had never expected... that. It was a meeting she had never intended to have, yet it clarified so much about the Titans to her. It had all started when she had gone to Beast Boy for help...

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Jinx sighed in frustration. She had spent the last 2 hours searching the tower for Beast Boy. She had covered all the usual spots, the living room, the roof, his room, the sublevels (he occasionally set up gags down there, much to Cyborg's detriment). She was about to start giving a thorough searching of the entire tower when a thought occurred to her. So here she was now, standing in front of the one room she had never entered before. She opened the door and stepped through.

Inside was very different from the rest of the tower. The ceiling was an image of the night sky and the room was painted in beautiful earth tones. And sitting forlorn in a chair was her target. Maybe fate brought them here, the perfect place for her question, but Jinx didn't believe in fate. So she walked up beside him and knelt down so she was at his eye level.

"It's a bit lonely in here, isn't it?"

"It's a bit lonely out there too." Beast Boy was staring at a heart shaped box, he held it like it was a precious jewel.

"But you have friends out there." Green eyes met with pink and Jinx realized he was crying.

"I know."

"Sometimes even when you're with friends you can still feel alone." Jinx touched his arm comfortingly and he didn't move away.

A comfortable silence fell over them, an understanding of the situation. Finally Jinx breaks the silence with a murmur.

"I'm sorry, I guess now was a bad time," She got up to leave but the changeling stopped her with a hand. She sighed at his questioning eyes. "Listen Gar," He was startled at the use of his real name. Beast Boy couldn't recall her ever calling him Gar before. She had obviously picked the name up during one of Cyborg's weekly sessions tormenting the green hero. "I've spent the last week saying goodbye to all the Titans. I wanted you to help me say goodbye to the last one."

"Last one?" She gave him a knowing look and his face froze as he caught her meaning. "You mean..."

"I don't know where the statue was. All I need is an address Gar," Jinx gave him a sympathetic look. "I just feel I have to do this."

Beast Boy grabbed a nearby pad of paper and quickly scribbled on it, passing a page on to Jinx. "There."

Jinx walked towards the door, and then stopped as Beast Boy put a hand on her shoulder. "I think she would have liked you Jinx."

She simply nodded and walked out.

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The address was only a short ways across town. She had Starfire drop her off at the docks (for last minute shopping before the trip, or so the excuse went) and she walked from there. Naturally she took to the rooftops to travel, whether hero or villain she had always loved the rooftops. Traveling high above everything else, all the mortal problems and tribulations. On a more practical level it also allowed her to avoid muggers and sneak up on locations, as she did now. She was perched at the address two stories up when she glanced down. The plaque was there, but beside it someone was kneeling. Jinx stealthily made her way to the ground and silently crept up on the person. When she was a few feet away she spoke.

"Paying your respects?" The girl jumped. Jinx could tell it was a girl now from her school uniform, a familiar girl. It took only half a second for Jinx to identify the schoolgirl, and as she did she let down her combat stance. The girl stood and turned around.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Jinx stared at the blonde girl and wished she had brought Beast Boy with her. She hadn't expected to run into... her. "Why, what are you doing here Jinx? Here to steal the plaque?"

"Are you trying to antagonize me schoolgirl?" The blonde stiffened at the quip and looked somewhat violent. "I've gone straight, haven't you heard"

"I hear a lot of things, I don't necessarily believe them," The schoolgirl strutted past Jinx, the conversation apparently over. "Once a villain always a villain."

"Oh, do you mean like you?" Jinx watched as the girl steadily ignored the comment and kept walking. "What did you even come here for anyway Terra?"

"To remember." Terra stopped and turned to look at the sorceress.

"Beast Boy told us you couldn't remember..." Jinx lightened her former cutting tone and walked closer to Terra.

The girl sighed and sat down on the nearby curb. Jinx sat next to her. "I just... wanted to start over you know?"

"Goddess do I!" Jinx sighed too and looked understandingly at the Terra. She smiled back a bit.

"Yeah you would understand that, we're kinda similar. You were a villain that reformed. I was a hero that fell."

"And we both hurt people with our powers." Jinx said, taking a guess from Robin's reports on Terra. Terra's expression proved Jinx's hypothesis. "Don't worry, I won't tell. The same happened to me when I was younger, bad luck just followed me around."

"It doesn't matter anymore anyways; I'm out of the hero business." Terra stood up and Jinx followed suit. "I just came here to say goodbye."

"Goodbye to who?" Jinx's confused expression brought another fleeting smile to Terra's face.

"Goodbye to Terra. I... I just can't stay in the city. I thought I could but..."

"Being here, it reminds you of him." Jinx finally put the pieces together. Terra was saying goodbye to her past, to herself before... "Where are you going?"

"I don't know wherever the wind takes me I guess. Just like old times." Terra winced when she said 'old times'. She only had bad times and worse memories behind her. Memories of betrayal, memories of loss, and memories of him.

"Terra... is there anything you want me to tell the Titans?" Jinx touched her arm and Terra turned away. "I mean if you're not coming back..."

"Yeah. Tell them Terra misses them." She rummaged around behind a trash can and pulled out a hidden backpack. She put it on and turned back to Jinx. "I'm just... not that girl anymore."

As she turned to leave Jinx grinned. "Somehow I didn't expect you to be this... intelligent."

"What, just because I like Beast Boy I must be a moron?" Terra turned her head and playfully glared at Jinx. "I've changed a lot since I woke up."

"You haven't changed enough, you said care. Present tense." Jinx turned and walked to the plaque, a plaque to a fallen hero and a true friend. Several roses of singular colors adorned the plaque. A rose of red, of white, of yellow, of orange, and of blue. Jinx sat a single pink rose alongside the others. "He still loves you."

"Yeah, I know." Terra walked away from Jinx, towards the sunset. "He was what I needed and never knew, not until it was too late."

"If... you're ever in Central City look us up, I'll make sure we have an extra couch. And we won't tell the Titans."

"I just might do that."

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And finally it was today, Thursday night. In less then 24 hours she would be undertaking the biggest step in her life since Kid Flash walked into the H.I.V.E. Five lair so long ago. As she thought about the last few hours her eyes narrowed, her eyes glinting dangerously in the last few beams of sunlight. The more she thought the angrier she got. This wasn't like her, not at all.

"I'm not some namby pamby girl who can't make her own decisions." She walked away from the window and towards the door. "I'm Jinx; and I've faced down madmen, villains and heroes, and even my own teammates. I am not going to sit here fretting about some stupid boy like some lovesick puppy. I've made my decision, and I'm going to follow it through."

The door opened and Kid Flash fell headfirst into the room, collapsing into a heap. Jinx just stepped over him and walked off as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Do you always talk to yourself Jinx? That's the first sign of dementia..." His grin belied his words, but she walked on disinterested, heading downstairs to the kitchen.

'Only when I know your listening, oh-so-obvious-one.'

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Authors Interlude: Hello everyone! Holy crap that was a long chapter for me and worse yet writers block killed me at least three times while writing this. I still loved this chapter, though I really wish I had more time to put finishing touches on it. Then again I'm someone who is tweaking a story until the very last moment before I post it. I wanna desperately thank Coldqueen not just for being my proofreader (as always) but also for pulling me out of my first writers block and inspiring the name of at least one of Jinx's internal personalities.

For all those Jericho and Kid Flash fans don't worry, the next chapter is going to be running parallel to this chapter with Jinx. It's going to be the story of Jericho and Kid Flash over the week before they leave, sorta a Boys Day Out kinda thing. It should prove quite amusing.

The first reviewer who can guess which of my favorite stories nicknamed Terra 'schoolgirl' gets a cookie and a mention in the next author's note, right alongside a mention for the author of said story. Also if someone can correctly guess which roses correspond to which Titan and (more importantly why) they will also get a cookie and a mention.

So chapter 4 is the boys' story. Then finally chapter 5, the ride to Central City. I have been looking forward to Chapter 5 for quite some time and I hope to do it justice.

Thanks to all my loyal reviewers, you are what keep me writing! Enjoy the story, and if you don't enjoy it review anyways and let me know why. Have a great day everyone!

-Zergplex


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Merry Christmas everyone! As a Christmas gift for all my fans here is a chapter for Christmas Eve. First though my obligatory mentions for this chapter. First of course comes my favorite review for the last chapter, which came from Mind Shadow. I haven't looked at your stories yet but I promise I'll be doing so shortly. Second is my thanks to Coldqueen, my proofreader of great justice. If there are any errors in this chapter it is all my fault and not hers, I decided to post this chapter before she finished going over it so it would be up in time for Christmas. Once I get her proofread version I'll be putting it up here. I would be mentioning a third person, but no one even made an attempt as to which Titan each of the Roses signify in the last chapter. Come on people, if anyone feels like attempting a guess they can get a mention in next chapter. Terra's schoolgirl reference came from GreenOnion's Nevermore Remix story. I recommend this story highly, it amused me for quite some time and I am still avidly awaiting more of it's sequel.

I wish I had spaced this out a bit better; there is so much going on at once in this chapter. Sorry if it feels a bit forced. Well enough of my talking, lets get to the story!

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11:39 Am. Two minutes after the last time he had checked that clock. And two minutes before the next time he will check, or so he figured.

"Boooooored."

Few things were as frightening, destructive, and unpredictable as a bored Kid Flash. And by god was he bored. His head overhung the edge of the bed and as he stared at the wall he reviewed options to relieve his boredom. Number one, Jinx. But she was locked in her room and refused to answer his knocks. He could always run up the side of the tower and come in through the window or vibrate his molecules through her door, but Jinx would probably refuse to talk to him for a week again. Now that they had separate rooms it was much easier for her to manage that.

"Sharing a room with Jinx, now that was an experience." He grinned remembering that time. It was an occurrence he wouldn't mind experiencing again. After the Brotherhood of Evil's defeat many of the honorary Titans stayed in Jump City for a time. The tower though was never designed to accommodate such a large amount of people. Robin refused to turn any of the Titans away, so there wasn't much room to go around. Most of the guest rooms were shared until the expanded Titans finally dispersed to their home cities. Naturally Kid Flash graciously offered his room to Jinx. Jinx of course had no home city to return to, Robin had offered her a membership on his team which she accepted with the single caveat that Kid Flash would remain on the team as well. Sharing a room with her was an experience he wouldn't soon forget. Not in a naughty sense mind you, he had strived to remain a perfect gentlemen throughout the time. But that first day when he woke up in bed next to her, smelling her strawberry scented hair in his face and her body cuddled so innocently up to him under the covers, that was truly special. You don't get many moments like that when your significant other is a supervillian, even a reformed one. But during those two weeks they had many moments like that, moments nearly as sugary sweet as her cotton candy hair. He had never found out if Jinx was teasing him or if she felt the same way during that time. He did know though that Jinx was quite disappointed when Robin announced they had set up her own room in the tower. The Titans had expected it to be a happy surprise; instead they all took cover from Jinx's following tantrum. It had taken Cyborg and an apologetic Jinx nearly a week to repair the damage to the tower.

"That's my little Eris, gleefully spreading chaos wherever you go." He smirked. He'd always liked comparing Jinx to Eris, it seemed an apt parallel. Eris was a goddess who represented chaos, discord, and strife; meanwhile Jinx was a girl who chaos, discord, and strife seemed to follow wherever she went.

'After all that whole Trojan War thing definitely seems right up Jinx's alley.' He stretched and his smirk grew wider. 'While we are on the subject of Greece I wonder what Jinx would look like in a toga. A short toga. That's pink.'

11:41am. He had to find something to do until Jericho woke up. Staring blankly at the clock definitely wasn't helping.

Number two was Raven. She and Jinx had been holing up together in her room for hours on end and it arose his curiosity. What could they be doing in there? Talking about him? Summoning demons? Comparing lingerie? The possibilities were endless! Then again interrupting Raven could be considered paramount to suicide. He still remembered last time Beast Boy had intruded on her room. When asked how she could be certain he would regain consciousness before hitting the ground she had simply replied she hadn't cared. The others seemed to be sure she was joking, he on the other hand wasn't so sure. So Raven was out. He turned his head to the side and glanced at the annoyingly red glowing light.

11:42am.

That did it. He had to get out of this room before he drove himself insane; it didn't matter where he went. Super speed has many benefits, one of which is the ability to clean up your room in under a second. That's just... not a benefit he generally used often. Today was no different. After throwing on a fresh costume he left his room (which looked surprisingly similar to the damage from a category 3 hurricane) and made his way to the kitchen to fix his morning coffee. Though maybe 'fix' isn't quite the right word. Possibly 'stealing the cup of coffee Cyborg was about to drink from and replacing it with lemon juice' is more accurate. Whatever, it was the morning and he wasn't very good with specifics in the morning. As he took a seat next to Beast Boy he heard Cyborg start hacking and coughing behind him.

"Better do something about that cough man, you sound contagious." The speedster gave a thumbs up to Beast Boy who grinned back at him, assuming quite rightly that Kid Flash pulled the prank this morning. Abruptly a shadow overcast the two pranksters. Looming above was Cyborg, Kid Flash didn't wait for his response before he started running. He wasn't quite sure where he should be running to, so he just circled the room at super speed. Beast Boy on the other hand had decided discretion was the better part of valor and morphed into a mouse to hide under the couch. He started to slink out towards the door as Cyborg turned his attention to Kid Flash. The mouse waited for his moment and bolted for the door like an arrow as it opened. Jericho barely had a moment to rub his eyes in the doorway before he was dragged along behind Kid Flash heading out of the tower.

"Morningjerichowearegoingtothemall." With shouts of anger coming from behind them Jericho just nodded his ascent.

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"...and it was LEMON juice! It was classic." Jericho just shook his head good-naturedly as they walked through the Jump Mall complex. They had been chatting somewhat one-sidedly for the last few minutes with Jericho responding as best he could to the jokes. They understood each other rather well, Kid Flash enjoyed talking and Jericho enjoyed listening. It was a system that worked quite well for them.

This was of course just a distraction for them. This trip had been planned in advance, though Jericho hadn't expected to leave quite so quickly. They both knew why they were here and what they needed to find, though neither had a clear idea of where to find it. As their corridor reached an intersection they stopped for a moment. Kid Flash turned to Jericho and shrugged. "Separate to cover more ground?"

Jericho motioned agreement and pointed a nearby clock on the wall. It was 12:06.

"Yeah, we should have a time to meet. An hour sounds about right, gives us some time to browse. I'll meet you back here at one o'clock." Kid Flash winked and flashed out of sight. Jericho simply shook his head smiling and walked down one of the corridors. He would never understand his speedy companion. He moved so fast sometimes that he missed what was right in front of him. Jericho on the other hand understood patience and took his time as he walked from store to store, searching for his goal. Unlike Kid Flash, Jericho's goal was less certain. Though as he approached the music store he had an epiphany. When he had first arrived at the tower he had felt out of sorts. He took long walks on the beach to help relieve his loneliness with the joy of nature. Usually he was alone in this, but once he had heard a familiar melody being placed. As he walked the island he had found her playing adeptly on a reed flute. Though not the best of instruments she was quite skilled in its use and he listened for a time before she retreated back inside. This store might be just what he was looking for. As he walked in his first impression was one of a pleasant little store, the atmosphere was relaxed and the man behind the counter smiled at the new arrival. Jericho greeted him with a wave and walked over with his pad of paper ready. He explained he was mute and needed some help searching for an instrument; moments after passing the paper over the other man started smiling. He replied that he understood sign language quite well and the pen and paper wasn't needed. Jericho sighed in relief; this would make his job much easier.

It seemed the man was the owner of the store, and he seemed glad to help in any way he could. He explained that his daughter was deaf and so he was quite adept at sign language. Jericho explained the situation and the man nodded understandingly. He walked Jericho around the store considering what might be best. Jericho was amazed as he looked closer at the merchandise. Many of the pieces looked lovingly handcrafted and all were of the highest quality. The way the man spoke as they walked around the store showed music wasn't simply a job to him, it was a passion. Jericho signed just as animatedly back, very rarely had he found anyone who shared his love of music. Finally as they neared the back of the store Jericho was motioned to wait. Moments later the owner returned from the backroom with a lovingly crafted wooden box. Jericho opened it carefully. The inside was covered in black felt, encasing a single silver flute.

It was perfect. The unblemished metal was polished to a beautiful sheen. It looked as though it begged to be played. After looking to the owner for permission he cleaned the mouthpiece with his sleeve and raised it to his mouth. The clear note rang true, and as he played a scale his admiration for the instrument grew. This was just what he was looking for.

"You have good taste lad. I think its right that you take 'er. Treat her good for me will you?" The owner smiled at him contentedly. "The last little girl that had her cherished her every day."

Jericho nodded vigorously, putting the flute back in its case as he fumbled for his wallet. The owner put a hand on his shoulder and stopped his mute friend.

"Now I won't be takin' any money from a Titan. It wouldn't be right," Jericho's eyes widened, he was used to being recognized but this kind of generosity was unheard of. "You just promise me that flute will have a good home."

Jericho quickly signed out that it would have a great home with a loving master. He seemed to want to say something else but couldn't seem to decide what. Finally he just gave up and hugged the man briefly before packing the flute up. As he headed out the door he looked back at the owner.

"The names Sean Adamson, if any of your other Titan buddies ever need an instrument send 'em to me." He winked at Jericho before turning back to the counter.

This was perfect. Now to meet Kid Flash and see if he had done as well as Jericho had.

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Jericho was shocked when he walked out of the shop. The mall was in shambles; windows were shattered, merchandise was strewn everywhere, and a deathly pallor seemed to have settled over the mall. It was eerily quiet; bodies littered the floors as if they had fallen in place. Jericho sighed in relief after checking the pulse of one such body, they appeared to be alive just sleeping. What could cause this effect though without alerting him in the shop, and where was Kid Flash?

One of those questions was answered swiftly as Kid Flash sped towards Jericho faster then the speed of sound. Jericho had only a moment to brace himself before the speedster grabbed him, the shockwave radiating behind him shattering the remaining windows. Moment later they were both perched on the roof above the mall complex.

"Take these Jericho. They'll help," He offered a pair of earplugs which Jericho took before fixing Kid Flash with a confused expression. "An old friend from Central City tracked me here. I'll fill you in on the details later; he controls minds using music though. If you can't hear him though you're safe. Don't take those out until I give the sign."

Jericho quickly scribbled on his pad of paper and passed it to him, waiting for a reply before quickly putting in his earplugs.

_What about you Kid Flash?_

The speedster chuckled as he pulled his communicator out, tuning into Robin's frequency. "If I know him at all he's not going to hypnotize me. He wants me aware. After all I'm the whole reason he's here."

"Robin here." The boy wonders face appeared on the communicator, and then took on a concerned look as he viewed his friend. "What's going on Wally, is something wrong?"

"Tut tut tut. I'm Kid Flash while I'm in Jump, remember Boy Wonder." Kid Flash sighed and looked down at the mall entrance. "We have a situation at the Jump Mall. A known supervillain had mind controlled some civilians and ransacked the place. Half the mall is knocked out and he had the other half attack me while he escaped. I'll fill you in on the details once we are safely at the tower."

"Who was it?"

"His name is the Pied Piper. Access the Central City files on my room's computer, password is wjeisntx. You'll find him. Don't send any Titans out until I get back to brief you." Robin looked rebellious for a moment before Wally caught him in a stare. "You don't know what you're up against. Just trust me Dick. You used to."

"Fine, just get back here ASAP. Robin out."

Jericho and Kid Flash stared at each other for a moment after Robin broke communication. Kid Flash broke out in a broad smile and held up a large thin box, pointing to it happily. Jericho got the message loud and clear. Flash had found what he was looking for.

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The fastest boy alive was exhausted physically and mentally. After returning from the mall Robin pulled him into his room and picked his head clean of everything he knew about the Pied Piper. The Pied Piper was a villain of the Flash's that Kid Flash had encountered from time to time. Kid Flash hadn't known the specifics of the situation but he had been told that the Pied Piper had reformed. There was more to it but Wally wasn't going to go into it anymore then he had to right now. The only thing he wanted to do was get out of that room as fast as possible. But he had to escape Robin first.

"Listen Dick, he is here for me. The rogues know I'm heading back to Central City to protect it while Barry is gone. They are just trying to take me out before I get settled." Barry was the Flash, Wally's mentor and the original defender of Central City. Robin just looked grimmer.

"That's what worries me. Until the North tower is constructed you are all in danger, maybe we should call in some of the others for backup until you're situated." Wally just shook his head, which stressed Robin's patience to the limit. "I am not sending you into a den of villains without help Wally. The Flash may work alone in that town but you need a team."

"You're right, I have a team though. I have Jericho and I have Jinx. They're all I'm going to need Dick, trust me." He flashed a winning smile as he walked to the door. "I'm going up to fill Jinx in on what happened today. The Pied Piper is probably going to follow us out of the city tomorrow, but just to be safe keep earplugs in everyone's uniforms and a sonic disruption discus thingy in your belt."

Robin just stood in the empty room for a few moments after Wally left before breaking the silence.

"Sonic disruption discus thingy?" Robin sat in his chair grinning a moment before picking up his communicator and selecting the founding Titans on the communicator. It was nearly time.

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Wally walked up to Jinx's room trepidatiously. He was never certain of what to expect from her, and since he hadn't seen her all day he wasn't certain of her mood. Just to test the waters he put his ear against the door and listened. He could hear her talking, and he concentrated and starting picking up fragments of sentences. He wasn't sure exactly how long he stood there listening piecing her one-sided conversation together, but he was quite aware of when the door abruptly opened and he fell into a heap at her feet. She just sniffed distastefully as she stepped over him.

"Do you always talk to yourself Jinx? That's the first sign of dementia..." He commented at her rapidly retreating back. He pulled himself to his feet and hurried to catch up to her. He caught up with her in the hallway connecting to the central room. In front of her was Jericho with the slightest smile to his face. Kid Flash matched that smile as he touched her shoulder and she turned her head towards him. They both offered her boxes wrapped in purple paper tied with outrageously pink ribbons.

"Happy birthday Jinx! I remembered it even if you didn't." She shook her head trying to clear it and looked suspiciously at her red headed crush. "And I know you didn't want anything big, so I didn't tell anyone else except Jericho here. I figure we Northern Titans gotta stick together."

He pulled her in for a hug, one she surprisingly and gratefully accepted. After a moment she pulled away and looked over at Jericho as well and mussed up his blonde hair. He frowned good-naturedly at her as she accepted their presents. She was trying to formulate a reply to them when Jericho leaned against the wall, accidentally hitting the door release button. As the doors slid open another surprise hit them.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

The founding Titans, plus Gnaark and Kole, were all standing together in front of the door while Cyborg held a cake three sizes too large for him to handle. The room was tastefully decorated using streamers and balloons in Jinx's customary purple, black, and pink colors. Beast Boy held about 12 different flavors of ice cream in his arms. Starfire was pressing buttons on a CD player desperately trying to get it to do anything. Abruptly Deuces are Wild by Aerosmith started playing, a favorite of Jinx's. Robin and Raven just stood behind the others, both with slight grins on their faces.

Jinx turned and glared hatefully at Kid Flash. He threw both his arms in the air with a shocked expression on his face.

"I promise I didn't tell them!" Her gaze turned, slightly confused, to Jericho who wore a wide smile.

Party time? He signed to her questioningly. She glared at the mute titan for a second before sighing, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

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The rest of the night went through in a blur. Music, dancing, and unhealthy amounts of junk food filled the night. Even Robin enjoyed the night, dancing with Starfire and chatting with Kid Flash about old times. Raven nursed a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream while alternately beating Beast Boy and Cyborg with her powers when they insisted on irritating her. Jinx herself spent most of the night dancing with Kid Flash and talking to Robin, Raven, and Cyborg about ideas on starting up the new Titans team. Finally exhausted Kid Flash and Jinx made their ways up to their rooms.

"Hey, you never did open your presents from us." Flash grinned and disappeared for a second, returning with the two gifts offered to her earlier. She smiled and took them, making a motion for him to follow as she went into her room. She sat on the bed and he sat next to her, watching as she ripped into the presents with gusto. She gasped when she opened the wooden box containing the silver flute. She could only guess at how Jericho had known she played the flute, but was grateful. She had loved the flute ever since she was a child; it held a special place in her heart. She resolved to thank him in the morning. She put the flute aside and grinned a moment. As she snapped her fingers pink energy shredded the packaging on her second present. Her breath caught in her throat as a she stared at a large sketchpad, with a set of charcoal pencil taped to the bottom. She paged through the pad and her heart leapt into her throat. On the first page a unicorn stared her in a face, a unicorn she had drawn over 6 months ago. She flipped through the rest of the pad; half the book was filled with sketches, the very same sketches she had accidentally destroyed attacking Kid Flash so long ago. She looked at him with a mix of happiness, awe, and confusion. He took her hand and smiled his cocky grin.

"Raven pulled the drawings out of my mind and transferred them to paper. I owed you a new pad after all." Jinx grabbed him and pulled him in for a pleasantly long kiss, pulling him down to the bed with her. She kissed him again as she cuddled up next to him. Moments later her head slid to his chest, and her breath steadied. His eyes rolled as he realized Jinx had fallen asleep on him. It seemed impossible that she had fallen asleep so quickly, but it seemed a good enough excuse to fall asleep next to her again. He wrapped one arm around her waist and used the other to pull the covers over them. He slowly drifted off to sleep, content with the warmth of the covers and the pleasant closeness of the girl with him.

'This hadn't been such a bad day after all.' Wally reflected.

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Author's Interlude: Welcome once again to the author's interlude! I am your author Zergplex and will be hosting this author's interlude. Thanks for joining me in this chapter, and thanks to all the readers who have stuck with me thus far. Very soon we will finally be on our way to Central City, in fact we will finally be leaving for Central City in our next chapter. A few people have asked when the other team members will be joining, so I figured I would give my best estimites. Argent should be showing up around chapter 8, unless I drastically change the direction I am giving the story. Revelation should show up a few chapters after Argent. For those of you asking about Terra joining the team... She will be returning later in the story. That is all I'm going to be saying on that subject. Saying a definitive yes or no would restrict your imaginations and I'm not one to do that.

Who will be my next obligatory mention: Why whoever can figure out what Kid Flash's password means!

Well I must head off to spend some quality time with my girl so I shall leave you all. Have a happy holiday!

-Zergplex


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Ok new author's note time! When I first posted this chapter I was very very ill, but now I'm feeling quite better so I'm renovating the chapter (it had some glaring errors from when I was sick, like Jericho talking. God was I sick --). I also hadn't appreciated anyone in my prior author's note, horror of horrors! I guess it's time for me to get crackin'!

First comes, as usual, my favorite review from last chapter. -Perfect-Witch-x- who had some nice things to say about the story. Thanks for the support. Second comes the first one to correctly guess Kid Flash's password, Ethereal Eagle. He/She wrote a great Christmas story (Deck the Halls). Check it out while it is still the season to be jolly! As for why the password, well Kid Flash reminds me of a lovesick schoolgirl sometimes and that password just proves it. And I mean that in the best of ways.

This chapter is not one of my favorites, but it leads into the next chapter which I am hoping will be one of my best. Thanks for all the support and keep reading (and reviewing)!

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Blue eyes blinked slowly awake. This room didn't look like his. It did look familiar though; the soothing purple color reminded him of something, of someone... His eyes shot awake as he remembered the previous night. As he pawed the bed beside him he realized he was alone. This by itself was odd in several ways. First of all Jinx was never known as an early riser. Kid Flash himself usually slept in but he had never known Jinx to wake up before him. Second of all Jinx had never liked leaving him alone in her room. He wasn't sure why but assumed she probably still had hard feelings about the destruction of her old room at the HIVE. Realizing he was alone he relaxed back in his bed and just enjoyed the scenery. The room reflected Jinx so perfectly. The walls were a deep indigo, just a few shades from black. Her desk, bed, and bookshelves were all made of beautifully crafted and polished mahogany. The most interesting things weren't the furniture though, but what they housed. Or used to house as the case may be, much of Jinx's room had already been packed. Her clothes sat in two suitcases in a corner while her books were packed in a large box. A few items still dotted the room though to go in her personal bag. Her most cherished novel still sat on the shelf, a first edition copy of The Last Unicorn. Her laptop still sat on her desk, containing files on the HIVE that even he hadn't yet seen. And a single framed picture sat beside the computer, a portrait of Kid Flash. Starfire had snapped it early on in their membership and the picture had never left Jinx's side. Beast Boy was the only one who once had the audacity to mock her for it, and when she was done with him no one ever did again. Kid Flash was rather touched by it, though she had pointedly ignored him when he mentioned it to her. He yawned and glanced at Jinx's clock. After glancing at the time again to verify it he leapt out of bed, into costume, and into his room to finish packing.

'Eleven twenty?! I never sleep that late.' He packed as fast as he could; throwing clothes, mementos, and papers into suitcases indiscriminately. He only had until 11:30 to get everything packed and loaded into the T-Car before they left. He glanced at Jinx in the kitchen as he flashed down to the car to load his bags. Each time he made a trip to the T-Car he dropped another sugar cube into the tea she was holding. By the time the cup reached her lips it was more sugary then the looks Starfire gives Robin. Finished loading Kid Flash just stood leaning against the wall near Jinx as she took her sip, and looked a bit surprised when she smiled afterwards.

"You are so predictable Kiddy. Meet me down in the T-Car now or we are going to be late." She finished her tea cup and tossed it into the sink. "I'm grabbing the last of my bags; I'll be down in a second."

Kid Flash glanced confused at Cyborg who was in the process of frying bacon.

"Don't ask me, you're the one 'involved' with her. Maybe she likes sugary tea," Cyborg glanced back at him with a half-hearted grin. "You better hurry speed demon, she's not gonna be happy if she beats you downstairs."

"Never gonna happen." He winks at the machine-man and flashes away. Cyborg turns back to his food with a stony grimace.

"Something wrong Cy?" Beast Boy walked into the kitchen yawning, and then noticed Cyborg's silence. Cyborg's gaze turned predatory as he sighted the green hero.

"Actually yeah BB. Take a seat." As Beast Boy sat down Cyborg walked over to him, towering over the green hero. "Now... wasn't what I told you about Jinx and I supposed to be private?"

The changeling swallowed nervously and started to sweating. This wasn't going to be a good morning.

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Jinx sighed as she threw the last of her personal belongings into a duffel bag. Her favorite book, her laptop, her framed photo of Kid Flash, and most importantly her special mirror. She pulled it from its hiding place inside her mattress and packed it carefully away. Raven said it was unbreakable, but even so Jinx had always treated it gently. It was a part of her after all. She threw the bag over her shoulder and took one last glance around the room, her room. Even bereft of her belongings the room still felt like home. It was a strange feeling for her, one she had never had at the HIVE. She was never completely comfortable with the Titans, or even with Kid Flash at times. But this was her sanctuary. She ran her finger along one of the bookshelves and smiled. It took a moment's concentration but she steeled herself and walked to the door. This was a home for her, but she knew it wouldn't be her only home. It was time to move on. She walked out the door and slapped the control to close it, not letting herself look back.

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"...you DO know how to drive this thing. Right?" Jinx's eyes were narrowed as Kid Flash once again narrowly missed a pedestrian.

"Of course, Cyborg showed me all the tricks this baby can do." Kid Flash sped up another 10 miles per hour, Jinx was afraid to check exactly how fast they were traveling.

"That's what I was afraid of."

"Are you implying I'm a bad driver?"

"Implying? No I'm outright telling you!"

Jericho was having a marvelous time, silently laughing at the pair's antics. They were only on the outskirts of Jump City and the two had yet to stop their bickering. Occasionally Jericho would bring a missed turn to Jinx's attention, but overall he was just enjoying the show. His attention was swiftly turned to another show as his eyes caught a struggle. To the side of road was... ten year old baseball players tap-dancing? Jericho rubbed his eyes and looked again, but was greeted by the same sight. His eyes widened and he started poking Jinx to get her attention. She ignored him, intent on her argument with Kid Flash. Finally Jericho pinched her side hard.

"WHAT IS IT?" Jinx's hateful gaze focused on the mute, who fearfully pointed out the window. Both Jinx and Kid Flash glanced to the side, and Kid Flash immediately pulled over.

"Pied Piper." He muttered as he stepped out of the car. Jinx and Jericho followed suit, both pulling out their earplugs but not putting them in. Not yet. Now that they looked closer they recognized the dancing children, they were the handicapped children Cyborg's friend Sarah volunteered with. At the moment their eyes were glazed over and were dancing a reasonable approximation of classical tap. Behind them Sarah and an attractive black haired teen were huddled frightened underneath a nearby tree. Beautiful music played above them, and as the Titans looked up they saw a green cloaked man lounging in a tree branch playing the flute.

"It's great to see you again Kid Flash, we didn't get a chance to catch up at the mall. You haven't changed a bit." The man leapt down from the tree branch and smiled towards the Titans. The dark haired girl flinched and inched farther away from the musician.

"The Pied Piper." Kid Flash whispered to the others under his breath. The green clothed man played a short tune on his flute and the children flocked to him, forming a human wall between the villain and the Titans. "Jinx, get those girls out of here. Jericho, try and break the spell on the kids. I'll try to distract him"

The other Titans nodded and donned their earplugs. Jinx is about to run off when she realizes the other two are both staring at her questioningly.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Kid Flash gave her a pointed look. She thought for a second and then rolled her eyes. "Fine. Teen Titans! Together!"

The three broke; Jinx went to the right side of the wall while Jericho went to the left with Kid Flash running straight down the middle towards the ringleader. The speedster was met with a smile as he leapt over the children and confronted the Pied Piper.

"Hartley, it doesn't have to be like this. You've changed, remember?" The Piper responded to the speedsters comment with rolled eyes.

"Aw, I'm touched Wally. You remember me." He played a piercing note on his flute and Kid Flash was knocked backwards by a sonic blast. He was immediately grappled by the brainwashed children. "Did you remember that?"

Meanwhile Jericho had reached the far end of the human wall and leapt at one of the children, making eye contact and possessing him. As he forced his will on the child he felt the flute's mental domination slipping.

'Possessing the children frees them...' Jericho thought to himself, and then grabbed the next nearest child and leapt from into his body. He continued this, breaking the domination of each child in turn. The ones he had freed immediately ran off, but for every one he freed there seemed to be far more still left.

Beyond the human wall Jinx had raced to the tree and helped the two girls to their feet.

"Can you stand?" The dark haired girl nodded, while Sarah smiled slightly. "I'm gonna help Kid Flash, get out of here!"

As Jinx turned to the battle she was grasped from behind and felt the press of steel on her throat. She moved slightly and felt the knife dig slightly into her throat, the message was clear. Do not move.

"This is over Flash. You can't risk escape for yourself without hurting the children. And I hold your teammate captive." He motioned behind him to Jinx, who was held by the hypnotized Sarah. Beside them sat the terrified dark haired girl. Kid Flash looked uncertain, and then felt one of the children loosen his grip. Immediately he shook the others off and took off full speed at the Pied Piper. Meanwhile the child who loosed him made a hand motion towards Jinx, though Kid Flash couldn't catch what he was doing.

"I still have your friend speed boy, you've lost-" Pied Piper's eyes widened as the dark haired girl grabbed onto Sarah's knife arm and wrested it away from Jinx, giving the sorceress the chance she needed. Jinx hexed the ground, leaping away as it exploded and pushed Sarah and her adversary backwards. While the Piper was distracted Kid Flash barreled into him at high speed, they landed grappling each other. His flute flung away, and was caught midair by the somersaulting Jinx. As she landed she tapped the flute against her side lightly with pink energy dancing across it.

"I think you're the one who's lost Hartley, give it up." Kid Flash sped over to Jinx and stood beside her while Jericho leapt from his current host to join them. "We're the Titan's North, and we just kicked your butt."

"Even without my flute the children are still under my spell, attack my children of Hamlin!" The hypnotized class immediately started running at the Titans, teeth bared and hands more closely resembling claws. Kid Flash grabbed at Jinx's ears and pulled the plugs out.

"The power is in the flute Jinx; figure out a way to break his hold on them." He motioned to Jericho and they ran at the children, trying to give Jinx the time she needed. Jericho leapt into one of the children, but this time the others realized his power. They started to tear at the child he possessed, forcing him to abandon the body or else have the child suffer permanent damage. Kid Flash meanwhile dodged all of the children's attacks, each coming closer to actually hitting him. Finally he leapt above them and landed next to the Pied Piper and grasped him by the collar.

"Using children to do your dirty work, this is low Piper." He spit out the name distastefully. He tossed the Piper to the ground, who simply grinned. Then he frowned as he heard a musical countermelody to his former music. As they both looked to the side they saw Jinx softly playing the flute. It was a sad melody of loss, and with each note a flicker of pink power shot across the flute. As the music reached them the children each collapsed one at a time, as did Sarah. The music continued on to its haunting climax, and then Jinx slowly lowered the flute to her side. Moment later it exploded in a flash of pink energy.

"The Pied Piper of Hamlin only wished to be paid for his services, and never truly harmed those around him. You disgrace his name and violate his nature." She made a waving motion with her hand and the ground beneath the Piper collapsed into a pit. "Think about who you really are in prison."

"That was amazing, how did you do that?" Kid Flash gushed; Jinx simply ignored him and checked on the children.

"Go call the police Kiddy, and get an ambulance as well. A few of these kids are pretty messed up." Jinx ripped off one of her sleeves to start bandaging her patient. Kid Flash sped off to contact the authorities. Jericho meanwhile was standing over near Sarah with Jinx's dark haired savior.

'You were the one who told me to fight back there. How did you know I was deaf?' The girl hand signed to Jericho, who grinned before replying.

'I met your father, you are his spitting image.' She smiled back as he continued. 'What is your name?'

'K-A-T-I-E.' She spelled it to him, he mouthed the name back at her.

"Katie. That's a pretty name." She blushed, reading his silent lips. Kid Flash appeared behind her a moment later.

"Come on Jericho, Jinx has patched the kids up. The authorities can take it from here." He grabbed Jericho and sped towards the car. "We still have a long way to go to Central City."

"Yeah, we do." Jinx sat in the passenger's seat smiling. "But it's certainly going to be an interesting trip.

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Author's Interlude: Hey everyone, another chapter down. I figured I would use this space this time to answer a few questions that have been thrown at me recently.

First question was if Titan's North is entirely based off the animated series or if I'm taking the Titan's Go comics into account. The answer is yes, I consider the comics part of the continuity and do take the current comics into account when I'm writing. Of course if later comics ruin my back-story I'm going to have to ignore them, but as of this point I am taking them into account in my story. I loved the little Jinx hunting down Cyborg for Valentine's Day, quite amusing. As was the Kid Flash/Mas & Menos race.

Second question wasn't quite a question but more a common comment, that I write for Jericho very well. I think the main reason for this is I grew up with a deaf friend, so I'm used to sign language and body language as a means of communication. That helps, as does that fact that I have loved Jericho since the original Wolfman/Perez era Titan's comics. When I originally considered the Titan's North concept he was one of the first people I decided on for the team.

Well I suppose that I don't have much more to say today. I may be skipping this Sunday's update, instead rewriting my first two chapters and bringing them up to the standards of the rest of the story. I'm not quite sure yet, I'm on vacation so I have plenty of time to decide which. Either way something new will be up Sunday, whether it's simply an update to an old chapter of a new chapter. Thanks for reading!

-Zergplex


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Heyo everyone! Hope you had a great holiday season and happy New Year! Yet another chapter for y'all. I'm rather disappointed both by the quality of this chapter and at its length (it is fighting to the title of shortest chapter along with chapter 1) but hopefully you all will enjoy it.

I have to thank MrRigger for my favorite review this time around. For a good story with an amusing original character and lots of Jinx take a look at MrRigger's Strange New Titan story. I'm quite a fan of it and avidly await his newest chapter.

Well enough stalling, enjoy the chapter and I'll see you again in the interlude!

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"-you guys are going to love it there! There is even a Flash Museum dedicated to my exploits."

"Your exploits? Shouldn't it be dedicated to the _Flash's_ exploits Mr. Sidekick?"

"Partner, not sidekick! I was a very important member of team Flash. Who else could have kept up with Barry?"

"I don't know, Beast Boy on a moped?" Kid Flash groaned in mock pain at Jinx, who had a cheshire grin on her face. It had been a long drive so far and they were barely half way to Central City. Jericho was strumming quietly in the back seat, while Jinx and Kid Flash kept up a running commentary of teasing back and forth. "So the Flash is named Barry? He always seemed more of a Jason to me."

"...you kinda scare me sometimes." Kid Flash sighed and sat back in the seat, one hand kept on the steering wheel while the other rested on the window. "There was something I needed to talk to you about."

"Yes honey?" Jinx said in mock sweetness. She froze as he pulled his mask over his head and place it on the seat between them. She looked back up at him, seeing his crimson hair and blue eyes as if for the first time. It seemed different to her, more special.

"My name is Wally, Wally West. I don't exactly rent out my apartment as Kid Flash, so until the tower is up you're gonna have to see me out of costume quite a bit. I thought now was as good a time as any to get this out of the way."

"So what... am I supposed to be impressed?" Wally's eyes widen at her response. She smirked at his confused expression. "Sharing your 'secret' identity is nothing Kiddy. Anyone who wanted to do the legwork could find that out. It's going to take more then that to impress me."

"Well... says you!" Kid Flash turned his eyes back to the road, a sullen expression on his face. Jinx giggled to herself, he was so easy to tease at times. A few minutes later he turned his eyes back to Jinx. "If you want to catch some sleep go ahead, Robin won't be calling for our status until at least 8."

"I have better things to do then sleep," She flipped open her laptop and started tapping away at the keys. Kid Flash leaned over to look at the screen, then swerved as he nearly rammed into a slower moving car. "Keep your eyes on the road you idiot!"

"Yes your highness." He mimed a bow at the waist, his ever-present grin back on his face. Her eyebrow began to twitch slightly at his choice in nicknames.

"And put the mask back on."

"As her majesty commands." Her eyebrow started to twitch dangerously and her eyes lit up in a pinkish hue. Slowly the glow faded as she took a deep breath and glared at the source of her irritation.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" As he was about to reply they both heard a loud pop and the car slowed noticeably. On the dashboard flashed the symbol for a flat time. "...and that was your fault."

Kid Flash just groaned, pulling off to the side of the road. This trip of theirs was not going well.

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"...and the Pied Piper is safely behind bars."

"Thanks for the update Robin. How is Cyborg's friend doing?" Kid Flash conversed easily with Robin, glancing occasionally at the empty highway. Though Jinx and Jericho had fallen asleep a few hours ago, there was no sleep to come for Kid Flash. At least not if he wanted to reach Central City by daybreak. It had been a long drive and it was wearing on the speed demon. He was looking forward to finally coming home and sleeping on his own messy, unmade bed again.

"Sarah was admitted to the hospital for observation after the incident. They should be releasing her today." Robin smiled, a rare sight. Kid Flash matched the smile with his own, giving a thumbs up to the boy wonder.

"I'll give you another call when we reach Central City. Kid Flash out." The speedster leapt as a rather loud yawn came from his side. As he glanced next to him he was greeted with the rather sleepy face of Jinx. "Sorry, did we wake you?"

"What did bird boy want?" Jinx pushed off the question, mentally kicking herself for falling asleep in the first place. If Kiddy could go without sleep how could she do any less?

"The usual. He complained about squirrels in the bird feeder, irritating little rodents' aren't they? He threw some birderangs at them though, they cleared out pretty quickly." Jinx rolled her eyes at him and looked out the window, checking the signs they were passing for a clue at how close to Central City they were. As she caught sight of an exit sign she sat backwards hard, they had at least another two hours on the highway.

"...do you ever take anything seriously?" She caught his eyes with hers and he sighed, switching on Cyborg's autopilot. He had intended on waiting until they arrived as his apartment for this talk, but her demeanor seemed to almost invite his answer.

"I take us seriously." He took her hand in his. She almost pulled away, but stopped herself at the last second. Slowly she squeezed his hand in response.

"We already talked about this Kiddy-"

"-I know, and I'm sorry I brought it up again-"

"-you interrupt me a lot, you know that?" She glared at him for a moment before her expression softened. "Listen, there is a lot you don't know about me."

"I know enough," He smiled at her raised eyebrow. "I know you trust me with my life every day. I know you gave up everything to come with me. I know everything about you _that really counts_."

"You know I don't trust easily." She swallowed hard and tried to quiet the butterflies in her stomach. "It's been really hard since I left the HIVE, Baran and Mikron were like brothers to me."

Kid Flash just nodded, he had heard her talk about them before. They were her best friends from Junior HIVE academy onward. Her friends, confidantes, and teammates, the only people Jinx really trusted.

"I think I need to put that behind me though."

"Friend or more you know I'll always be here for you Jinx."

"Call me Jenny." She closed her eyes and pulled him towards her, planting a soft kiss on her boy. She smiled slightly as his warm lips pressed back against hers. To them it felt like music was playing around them. After a tender moment they broke the kiss, then realized the music was continuing. They both turned to the backseat where Jericho was strumming a romantic tune on his guitar, smiling slightly at the couple. Jinx blushed and turned back around. Kid Flash winked to the blonde before turning back to his sorceress.

"So, does this mean we're dating?" Jinx smiled to herself and turned the radio on and way up. The loud rock music drowned out Kid Flash's voice. Jinx laid back in her seat, relaxing and staring out her window. So far it had been a good night.

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Jericho smiled as he strummed quietly on his guitar. It had been a long journey, but the end was finally in sight. They were quite nearly on the outskirts of Central City and the pseudo-couple in the front seats were trying hard not to show their anticipation. Kid Flash's to finally see his home again and Jinx's to finally be out from under Robin's wing, to prove herself in her own city. Jericho on the other hand was serene, this was a big step for all of them but one he felt they could more then handle.

The blonde musician had taken this ride as a time of reflection, to look back on his time with the Teen Titans both professionally and personally. When Kid Flash had come to him about Titan's North he had jumped at the chance to join. In retrospect it was only natural, as Jinx and Kid Flash were two of the Titans he felt most comfortable around. Jinx was one of the few Titans who understood sign language; along with Robin, the Herald, Raven, Kole, and Beast Boy (who had volunteered to learn it). Though they had personal conversations Jericho knew her own family history was nearly as tragic as his own, which was another thing that drew them together. Most of all it was how she treated him like an equal, even though his powers weren't always as useful as the other Titans. Though they wouldn't say it Jericho knew many Titans felt him a second stringer, useful only when one of the big names was busy. Jinx never did that and he was grateful for it. Kid Flash was the same way. He treated Jericho like the mute, mutant brother he never had. Kid Flash was always so open and cheery; everyone who wanted to help was equal in his eyes. In his mindset even villains could change, Jinx herself was proof of his faith. Jericho just hoped that someday his faith wouldn't betray him as it did... Jericho willed his mind off that subject. This was no time to dwell on the past. The only Titan he felt more comfortable with then those two was Kole, and his feelings towards her were anything but clear. She had risked her life for him when... he had returned.

Buildings and trees sped by as Jericho stared out the window, trying to shake the feelings from his past. He had a future with the Titan's North now and dwelling on his past was pointless. The blonde was shocked from his reverie as Kid Flash started whooping. The speedster pointed as they sped past a large sign that read 'Entering Central City: Population 750,000'. Jinx rolled her eyes at his excitement but couldn't quite hide her own smile. Jericho just played on, then frowned slightly as his communicator started to vibrate. The others didn't appear to notice, and when he answered his communicator he was glad they hadn't. He immediately cancelled the call and threw the comm. unit next to him. Why would _she_ be calling him? How was she even _alive_?

"How you holding up back there Jericho?" Kid Flash glanced back; the mute forced a smile and signed to the speedster.

'Welcome home.'

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Author's Interlude: Another chapter bites the dust. Yet again writer's block has killed my writing, but I worked through it. Finally the team has reached Central City --. I loved writing the earlier chapters but it kinda disturbed me that it took me 7 chapters just to arrive at Central City, and the entire team isn't even introduced yet. If I want to fit everything in this story I planned then this is gonna be a good length story.

Of course, as always, thanks to the readers who have stayed with the story this long. You are who this is being written for. If you read this story, whether you enjoy it or not, please review and let me know what you think.

Oh and feel free to make guesses as to Jericho's mystery caller. She won't be revealed anytime soon, but if you guess right I'll let you know in my review reply. Thanks for reading!

-Zergplex


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: I would like to apologize to all of those who have patiently waited so long (nearly a year) for this update, and I hope a few of the old fans of this story might return. Read the Author's Interlude at the bottom for a more in-depth apology and explanation.

Overall I don't feel this chapter is as strong as the prior chapters, but after such a long hiatus I suppose that's to be expected. I felt getting _something_ written and posted was more important at this point then fine tuning this chapter too much. I hope you enjoy it regardless!

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'It has not,' Jinx reflected silently, staring into the sky, 'been a good couple days.'

She atop a cliff, pink eyes staring blankly across the nearly silent Missouri River, as she reflected on the last few days. After arriving in Keystone City the team had headed out for some celebratory pizza, then retired to Kid Flash's apartment for some relaxing before finally getting down to business. Jericho would unpack everything from the T-Car while his companions scouted out a location for their new tower. Their search had not gone well. For two days the duo had scoured the city, unable to find any good locations. Heck unable to even find a mediocre location. Depressed, and with time running out before Cyborg's arrival at 9am the following morning, Jinx hid herself out on the outskirts of the town and tried to think of something, _anything_, she could do. Not for the first time since their arrival she wondered if coming here was really the right choice to have made.

"At least in Jump City the team was Robin's responsibility," She muttered darkly, eyes glinting pink in the moonlight. "Out here when something goes wrong..."

"Whaaaatcha doing?" Jinx jumped, turning in midair and locking her flaring eyes with her companion's bright blues. He met her gaze calmly, which only served to infuriate the sorceress more.

"Nothing! I'm doing nothing, ok!" She tried to sit back down, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Those blue eyes stared worriedly at her as she averted her gaze.

"Come on Jinx, sitting out here in the cold isn't going to help anyone. You'll get sick before the grand opening of our tower, and _then_ who will I celebrate with," She forced a quick smile but pulled away from his hand, sitting back down. He took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders before sitting beside her.

"I would guess Jericho, he seems more your type anyways." Jinx smiled slightly, glancing at him.

"What can I say, I like the artsy, silent type," He grinned broadly, and then grew more solemn. "Now why have you been brooding out here for the last two hours Jen?

"I... well I was searching the river for a proper location for the tower. After all it's not like we haven't been through this city a dozen times searching already." She started as she felt an arm around her shoulders, but didn't resist as he pulled her close.

"Don't worry Jinx, we'll find a place," She tensed as he stroked her arm gently. Her eyes glowed dimly but steadily as she took in his words. "This is a big city, something is sure to turn up."

"Cyborg is going to be here in the morning, how the heck can you _be sure_ something is going to turn up." She pushed him away and rose, her eyes flashing with each word spoken. "You can just sit there and grin Kiddy, but I have responsibilities. We have to find a location before Cyborg gets here. We _have_ to."

"Otherwise... you think you've failed, is that it?" As he said her unspoken thought pink lightening crackled across the ground.

"YES! Because I _am _failing." A spider web of cracks scattered across the ground unnoticed by the two teens. "I stepped up to the plate, I swung, and I missed. This was our first mission and I've blown it. Badly."

In an instant she was held tightly in his arms, she hadn't even seen him move. A moment passed as she decided whether to push him away or hex him until he stopped moving. Thankfully for his health he spoke before she came to a decision. "I don't think you failed at all. The only way to really fail is to quit, and you haven't even considered that. You never quit. You are still in the game, swinging away even when it gets hard. And you can ask Robin, being in there and putting in the effort even when it seems impossible makes all the difference in the world."

She considered his words and her face softened. After a moment she returned his embrace. She held him closer, his face inches from her's as she opened her lips and...

The ground cracked one final time and gave way beneath them. Jinx kicked off of Kid Flash and flipped in the air, managing a decent landing on the stone floor in a combat stance. She glanced over at Kid Flash, who was sprawled on the ground surprised but for the most part unharmed, before taking stock of their surroundings. They were in a huge natural cave system, easily 20ft tall and nearly that again across. Several tunnels jutted off this main area leading to apparent dead ends or deeper under the city.

Kid flash rose and brushed himself off, tenderly poking his tender parts. "I think I'm going to bruise from this..."

"Oh does baby want me to kiss it and make it all better," Jinx turned her attention to Kid Flash for a moment, grinning sardonically, before her attention returned to their location. Jinx was mesmerized by the caves, her mind traveling at a mile a minute as she thought. Kid Flash passed his hand in front of her eyes trying to get her attention. After the third time she grabbed his hand and pushed it away, meeting his confused gaze with her own triumphant one. "Is there anything that says we _have_ to live in a giant T shaped tower Kiddy?"

"I'm pretty sure there isn't," He smiled slyly back as he caught her meaning. "Some window dressings, a rug or two and this could be just like home."

"Yeah, it really could..." She stared around at the caves and tunnels, planning the designs they would need. Mapping out there underground base in her mind. It was perfect to her, it just felt _right_. 'This could really be home.'

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Jericho sighed as he observed his worthy adversary. A cracked sink, a clogged toilet, enough soap scum coating the shower to choke an elephant, water stains on both the floor _and_ ceiling, what appeared to be spider webs coating the medicine cabinet, at least one rat scurrying between the holes in the walls, and god knows what else hidden beneath the muck coating the room. Resigned to his task, Jericho raised his scrubber in one hand, spray bottle in the other and entered the battlefield. Kid Flash had obviously never cleaned his bathroom...

...or any of the rest of his apartment for that matter. Unpacking had taken a matter of hours, leaving Jericho with a good deal of extra time on his hands while his companions were out. He decided to use this time wisely, cleaning the house. Which was a good choice, considering Jericho was convinced this apartment should have been condemned. The living room was a disaster, the two bedrooms even more so. The kitchen was so coated in dirt and grime you could barely make out the cockroaches scurrying across the floor. He had worked through it all though, washing and cleaning and tossing everything in his path. All leading up to this moment, the worst of the rooms, his goliath, the bathroom. En garde!

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"-think Cyborg will go for that?" Jericho perked up as he heard voices walking towards the door. He ran over and unlocked it, then was knocked backwards as Kid Flash and Jinx barreled through the door talking animatedly. "I don't see why not, after all he installed a _disco ball_ in the Titans East Tower."

"He did _what_?" Jericho pulled himself up off the ground and followed Kid Flash and Jinx to the master bedroom, trying and failing to get their attention. Just as he reached the door it closed on his face, knocking him backwards once again and bruising his nose. "Oh yeah! It was amazing. So I don't think our little modifications will matter one bit..."

Jericho glared darkly at the traitorous door, the door he had so recently rehinged and repainted. He decided to cut his loses and headed to the couch, passing out shortly after hitting the cushions.

It was nearly two hours, and two full sketch books of designs, later when Jinx realized they had yet to see their mute companion. "Kiddy, lets call it a night. I'm going to check on Jericho and clean up a bit."

"Sounds good to me, you're gonna need your sleep or you'll get all cranky with Cyborg tomorrow." Jinx playfully pushed him off the bed, then stood and walked out towards the living room and kitchen. Meanwhile Kid Flash rose and walked into the bathroom to take a much needed shower. He stopped in the doorway though and looked deep in thought as he stared into his lavatory. Something was nagging at him as he glanced around... Moment later he shrugged it off and walked inside.

"It's good to see everything in the house is just as I left it..."

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When he stepped out of the shower he saw Jinx was already in her bedclothes, snuggled up under the blankets. He smiled slightly to himself as he stepped up and sat on the bed. She turned over and took in the sight. He wore a loose tee shirt and running short that barely covered his wiry frame. And for the second time she gazed on his unmasked face, this time she just laid back and enjoyed the sight. It felt _special_. Then she smiled slightly as she remembered a comment she had almost forgotten earlier that day in her prior excitement.

"So you like the artsy, silent type eh?" He grinned at her comment and lay back on their bed. "What does that make me?"

"Well you do have that sketch book of unicorns, plus you were pretty skilled at drawing all those layouts for the 'Titans Lair'" She snuggled up to him, nodding slightly in agreement. "So that makes you artsy. And you're quiet... while you're asleep at least. Other then that I just try to tune you out."

Hours later on Wally reflected on what happened. For not the first time Wally cuddled up to his blanket on the floor; wondering silently if had been something he said...

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Author's Interlude: First of all I want to thank everyone who has, and is, continuing to stick with this story. Originally life got in the way of my posting for awhile, and then when I found the time later on I just kept on making excuses to not write the story. Finally a couple weeks ago another fan fiction writer's work reminded me of why I loved to write, her name was Artemis Rae and her story was The Escapades of the Blind Bandit and Meathead. If you are a fan of Avatar I highly _highly_ recommend her stories ( they helped me find my muse again and I thank her from the depths of my heart for that.

Now I'm not gonna forget to credit my favorite reviewer from next chapter just because of a 10 month hiatus. I give credit to Aura Black Chan for reviewing not just one chapter but all of them when she found my story. Take a look at her story First Kiss story for a sweet take on the Raven/Jericho relationship.

I want to thank you to all those who read this chapter and this story, both old and new. You are what brought me back here, and though I may not update as often as I once did I don't intend to disappear again anytime soon.

For those of you interested in such things I'm beginning work on an Avatar fan fiction as well, a group of oneshots set around Sokka aptly entitled "The Universe Hates Me". They are more written simply for fun and shouldn't conflict with my writing of this story, so no worries about that.

-Zergplex


	9. Interlude 1

Author's Note: Today's update was a major quandary for me. My roommates just moved out and my house is a disaster. Every second I'm not at work I'm home trying to make my house inhabitable again for when my new roommate moves in this week. I have had no time to write, but I promised an update and I fully intend to follow through with that promise. How do I do that? I could be a magician and pull a completed script out of my hat...

Or I could post a bunch of writings from later chapters/seasons. Yeah. That's it...

For some kind of explanation, when I write I don't write linearly like most people. I write whatever comes to mind, so I have scenes already written from all across the story. I'm pulling a few of those future scenes together here as a bit of a sneak peak of things to come. Of course most of them will be rewritten when we get to them in the actual story, so don't expect them to be identical to what gets posted later.

The scenes are posted in no particular order, and aren't all in context. Try not to jump to conclusions on what's happening... unless you want to that is. If so then go to town on guessing! I certainly do.

If you don't want spoilers to things that may happen later in the story, stop reading now! I promise to send a cookie to all the good little people who intend to wait and not spoil pieces of the story for themselves. Now if you're impatient like me read away and have fun!

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"Wally, you would do anything I ask right?"

"Just about, why what's on your mind?"

"I need you to swear this to me. Swear if... if I go renegade again you'll stop me." She emphasized stop me.

"We won't have to worry about that Jinx."

"What, do you think this is EASY! Every day I'm tempted. Each time I go to the mall with Starfire I can't help but think of how easy a heist might be. How simple just taking a few things would be. I have to stop catch myself just to prevent it. I don't know what has kept me this long..." That was a lie though, she did know. It was something about Robin when Red-X attacks. Or the way Beast Boy held his rose before visiting Terra's grave. Or Starfire's expression when her sister is mentioned. Or how Cyborg just stares at his hands sometimes like they aren't his own. But most of all how Kid Flash stares at her with such faith. It would be easy for them to give into their feelings, their emotions, their mistakes. But they rise above them. And Jinx would do no less. Hero or Villain, Jinx was strong.

"I swear Jinx, but I won't hurt you."

"It might come to that someday." She sighed "I just... I am responsible for you guys now. I don't want you to get hurt. And I'd die if I was the one hurting you."

"Ok mom, I think I'm old enough to take care of myself." Kid Flash tackled her in a hug and then ran off before she could react.

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"What are you gonna do without your powers Jinx," Cheshire's signature grin mocked the hex sorceress. "You can't beat me hand to hand, I taught you everything you know."

"I've learned a few new tricks," Jinx flipped off a nearby wall and torpedoed into Cheshire. She dodged nimbly to the side and slashed towards Jinx.

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"Join me Jinx, we are much the same. You could never really be happy on the outside, you know that. You're still the same cold blooded killer who mastered every technique I taught you." Jinx sighed in response.

"You're right headmistress. Jinx never cared about anybody but herself." She struggled to her feet, her eyes flaring pink. "She never cared, never loved, and I am NOT her anymore!" Pieces of furniture fractured and flung into the air around her. "My name is Jennifer Wrangler. Jenny has family she cares for, Jenny has friends she loves, and Jenny would rather die then let them down." She stood inches from the headmistress's face, her face taking on a feral expression. "You knew Jinx, but you never knew me."

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"You can't keep this up forever. Your powers will fail you, just as they have before."

"It's funny you know. Jinx was always afraid of losing control. Jenny doesn't have that luxury anymore."

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"You there Rae?" Jinx poked her head in the empath's room.

"No." Came the response. Jinx just grinned and walked into the room, glancing around for its surly occupant. Raven was sitting beside her desk with a large tome open, skimming it's contents.

"Good book?" Jinx sauntered over and sat on the desk, grinning at Raven's annoyed expression.

"Extremely."

"Listen Raven, I just... I appreciate the help. The training on the mirror of opposition you've been giving me nightly, the insight and knowledge... Just thanks." Jinx impulsively bent forward and hugged Raven, the open book pressed between them. Raven seemed shocked for a moment before she half-heartedly returned the hug.

"You're welcome." Jinx raised her eyebrow at the short reply. "Our training isn't over yet Jinx, I'm going to be visiting every Saturday to continue the training. Be ready."

"Our training?"

"I've never truly been inside of another person's mind like that. It has been as much a learning experience for me as it was for you." Jinx giggled a bit at the response.

"Glad to see I furthered your education Rae." The hex witch hopped off the desk and walked over to the nearby bookshelf, pulling a book off and glancing at it.

"Do you have to call me that?" Raven snatched the book back, glaring at Jinx's smiling face. The pink sorceress leapt backwards and landed on Raven's bed, then dodged as Raven made a grab for her leg.

"Yes. I do." Jinx spun away from Raven's grasping hand and twirled off the bed.

"Why do you have to call me that?" Jinx kept the bed between herself and the dark sorceress.

"Because." Jinx flipped over Raven's head, who was making a grab for the elusive sorceress. Jinx landed and turned back, sticking her tongue out at Raven.

"...because why." Raven replied, visibly irritated at this game. Her eyes glowed black for a moment as she reached out with her soul-self, wrapping itself around Jinx and holding her still. Raven motioned and was levitated to her. Her eyes continued to glow as she glowered at Jinx, awaiting her reply.

"Because it irritates you." Jinx's grinning face matched Raven's glower.

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"A thief with a code of honor, I can respect that. But I protect this city."

"Do you now? I guess that means we'll be seeing more of each other."

"Let's dance." Jinx makes a motion towards Red X.

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"Things are always changing Terra. I... I just didn't understand that before. Things can never be the way they were between us. I'm sorry." Beast Boy kissed Terra gently and she seemed shocked by the action, her eyes misting over tearfully. "Things can never be the same Terra, but they could be better. We could be better. But only if you trust me." He held her in his arms gently and smiled that same endearing smile that she fell in love with years ago. "Do you trust me?"

"More then anyone I've ever met." This time her lips met his gratefully. For that brief moment everything else seemed to black out, and it was just them. No more memories of betrayal or rejection to hold them back, they were simply a boy and a girl in love. They tumbled to the ground and kissed for a moment beneath the moonlight. For that moment things felt right for the first time in a long time and Terra wished that the morning would never come. The morning when Beast Boy would have to tell Robin about them and she would have to tell Jinx. For now they laid down together beneath the stars and were just happy to be together.

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"Robin's parents died when he was very young. He was raised by a man who may as well be a walking computer. Just as intelligent, efficient, and cold as one. Anyone who thinks being raised by Batman is 'cool' obviously has never met the man."

"Cyborg lost his entire life in an accident. He was a superb athlete and it was everything to him. Until the accident that cost him half his body, his high school experience, and any sports career he might have dreamed of."

"Beast Boy was infected with a virus when he was young and the cure left him with his green skin and his powers. Every adult he had ever cared for had died on him; his parents, the tribal leader who took him in, his foster parents. The only family he has every known was the Doom Patrol, who are best known as the only group of superheroes who assumes they won't survive each mission."

"Starfire was sold into slavery by her own people to protect her home world. They tortured and experimented on her like an animal. Even before then she had never known kindness except from Galfore and was part of a race that was despised around the galaxy."

"And finally myself. I am the daughter of evil incarnate. I was taught that my body is a shrine to darkness and that someday I would be the key to the end of the world. That my emotions were evil, and that the only way I could repent for my birth was to seal away my emotions forever."

"There is no doubt your life was difficult, and you had justification for your past. But that doesn't change what is right and what is wrong. Being a hero isn't a single choice, it is something you have to choose to be every day."

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"The portal goes both ways. My father used me to enter our world. Now I will open the portal and devour him. Trigon will be no more and a new master shall rule. A mistress as dark as the moonless sky and as merciless as the most cutting winds. A mistress who shall not make her father's mistakes." She motions to the assembled Titans. "Trigon underestimated you. Your strength, your devotion, your loyalty. I shall not do the same. Our world shall be decided today. Engarde!"

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Author's Intelude: Well that was certainly a trip wasn't it? In this interlude I intend to give you a bit of insight on what you just read. No spoilers really, but a bit of my thoughts on what was written.

The first clip, between Jinx and Kid Flash, was actually supposed to take place in the tower before they left. Needless to say I wasn't able to fit it in there, though I really like the idea of that scene. It will probably find it's home in one of the chapters coming up.

The second, third, and fourth clips are all in sequence. Different pieces of the same battle. The scene between Jinx and the Headmistress is actually the first thing I ever wrote for this story, before even the first chapter. I hope I can do my imagination justice when we get to it...

The Raven/Jinx scene was supposed to take place the day before they left, but once again it never ended up happening in the chapter. Instead it's going to be shown in a flashback at some point, that scene did take place before they left the tower.

Short and sweet for this clip, Red X and Jinx get a bit of a rivalry going. That is all.

...god how can I touch this clip. Take your best guesses at what led up to this, and what's going to happen afterwards. I honestly can't say anything without spoiling something.

And who is Raven talking to in that clip, and why is she recounting their pasts? I know, but I'm not telling!

And finally the climax. This is a clip from the second season of Titans North. I won't be saying any more about it.

I hope this update wasn't too lame for you guys, being more of a clip show then anything else. I promise a real update soon. Thanks to all the reviewers and readers who returned after my long hiatus, this chapter is devoted to you!

Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro, Wingedserpent, Coldqueen. You have all been with me since the beginning of this story (and in Coldqueens case was at one point my proofreader) and I want to send a special thanks out for all of you! Not just for sticking with me through the hiatus, but also for all the nice (and constructive) things you have said since I started this. You guys (and girls) rock!

I'll end this with a quote that defines Jinx/Kid Flash's relationship to me...

"Love is like a minefield. We'll just have to take it one step at a time."

Until next time!

-Zergplex 


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